Despite often being completely dry during drought conditions in western parts of Kansas, the Arkansas River can become deceptively menacing at high flow and cause millions of dollars in damage. The following briefly describe the Arkansas River Basin in Kansas, chronicle the effects of human development on streamflow in the basin, and provide brief descriptions of some of the larger floods.
Description of Arkansas River Basin
At 1,450 miles, the Arkansas is the longest tributary in the Mississippi-Missouri system. From its source near Leadville, Colorado (Arkansas River Historical Society, 2003). Regulation of streamflow by storage and consumptive use in Colorado has reduced the river to a small stream where it crosses the border into Kansas. Across the plains of Kansas, the channel of the river is very shallow, with the banks being less than 5 feet above low water in some places (Blackmar, 1912). What the river channel lacks in depth it makes up for in width, being as much as 1-mile wide in some places.
As a result of land-surface characteristics and water use in Kansas, flows in the Arkansas River remain small for a considerable distance within the State, increasing gradually to Wichita where they increase due to inflows from the Little Arkansas River (Jordan, 1986). As it travels through Kansas, the Arkansas River flows through mostly agricultural areas and then exits into northeastern Oklahoma. There it is joined by the Canadian, Cimarron, Neosho-Grand, and Verdigris Rivers. It then crosses the State of Arkansas and empties into the Mississippi River 600 miles north of New Orleans (Arkansas River Historical Society, 2003).
The Arkansas River Basin in Kansas can be divided into two subunits--the upper Arkansas River Basin and the lower Arkansas River Basin. The Arkansas River Basin as a whole has a relatively low potential for runoff as soil permeability is generally high and precipitation is generally low (Juracek, 1999). This low potential for runoff along with relatively flat to gently rolling terrain throughout its basin results in generally localized flooding that is mostly confined to areas immediately affected by excessive rains.
Effects of Human Development on Streamflows
Prior to the early 1880s, there was always an abundance of water in the river, and the channel, even down to the Little Arkansas River near Wichita, was usually full. Occasionally, however, the river was a bed of dry sand above the confluence of the Little Arkansas for a couple of months in the fall. During prolonged dry spells, water in the channel has been known to disappear suddenly, only to make its reappearance as unexpectedly within the next day or two (Root, 1936).
Development of the Arkansas River Basin in western Kansas began with diversions for irrigation of corn and sugar beets (Jordan, 1986). From 1880-1905, 12 irrigation canals were constructed to divert water from the Arkansas River between the Colorado State line and Great Bend, Kansas. These 12 canals were intended to irrigate from 5,000 to 100,000 acres. From 1900-10, irrigation wells began to be constructed in the Arkansas River Valley. Well development occurred because of the rapid expansion of irrigation in Colorado, which caused flow in the Arkansas River to cease during July and August when water was so sorely needed by Kansas irrigators. Well water could be obtained at depths of 6 to 20 feet. These early wells were constructed to supplement river flows, not to replace river water; however, by 2000, direct water withdrawals from the river for irrigation had deceased to supply water for only about 50,000 acres of Kansas land (C.V. Hansen, U.S. Geological Survey, written commun., 2003).
The considerable development of the Arkansas River in Colorado, including construction of John Martin Reservoir, completed in 1943 with 702,000 acre-feet or 227,000 million gallons of storage capacity, also affects flows of the river in western Kansas. Cheyenne Bottomsa waterfowl and fishing area in Barton County enlarged from a natural shallow lake - and Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Stafford County are maintained in part by diversions from the Arkansas River and its tributaries. Other developments include diversions of floodwaters around Hutchinson, Wichita, and Valley Center, and a pipeline from Cheney Reservoir to Wichita (Jordan, 1986).
The Wichita and Valley Center Local Protection Project, authorized by the Flood Control Act (Public Law 738), was approved on June 22, 1936, and consists of levees, floodways, improved channels, and control structures on the Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers and Chisholm Creek in Sedgwick County, south-central Kansas. Construction of the project began in May 1950 and was completed in March 1959. The project provides flood protection for approximately 49,000 acres of urban and rural lands in and adjacent to the cities of Wichita and Valley Center (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,1996).
The apparent downward trend of annual peak flows at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamflow-gaging station on the Arkansas River at Syracuse is the result of consumptive use of water for irrigation and storage in reservoirs. Decreasing streamflows have forced the decrease of irrigation by surface water from the Arkansas River and also has decreased the quantity of water available for the Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira waterfowl areas. In contrast, annual peak flows of the Arkansas River at Wichita have not shown a downward trend despite ground-water withdrawals from the adjacent Equus Beds aquifer for public supply in the Wichita area.
Related Content
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Kansas Floods
Floods in Kansas have caused millions of dollars in damage and loss of life. Nationwide, floods are responsible for more property damage and loss of life than any other natural hazard. The USGS monitors flood conditions at more than 180 streamgages across Kansas. Water level and flow information are used by the National Weather Service (NWS) to make accurate flood forecasts. Included in this topic are tables and maps that summarize flood conditions using real-time data from the streamgages, NWS flood forecast information, and publications that describe historic floods in Kansas.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Summary of significant floods in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, 1970 through 1989
Estimation of potential runoff-contributing areas in Kansas using topographic and soil information
Summary of floods in the United States, January 1992 through September 1993
National water summary 1988–89 — Hydrologic events and floods and droughts
National water summary 1985: Hydrologic events and surface-water resources
Water Resources Data, Kansas, Water Year 2002
Floods of June 1965 in Arkansas River basin, Colorado, Kansas, and New Mexico
Flood of June 15, 1981, in Great Bend and vicinity, central Kansas
Related Content
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Kansas Floods
Floods in Kansas have caused millions of dollars in damage and loss of life. Nationwide, floods are responsible for more property damage and loss of life than any other natural hazard. The USGS monitors flood conditions at more than 180 streamgages across Kansas. Water level and flow information are used by the National Weather Service (NWS) to make accurate flood forecasts. Included in this topic are tables and maps that summarize flood conditions using real-time data from the streamgages, NWS flood forecast information, and publications that describe historic floods in Kansas.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Summary of significant floods in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, 1970 through 1989
This volume is a compilation of significant floods that occurred throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands during 1970 through 1989. A summary of most devastating floods according to amount of damage and lives lost is provided for each year. State-by-state compilations include a description of the general hydroclimatology and conditions that produce significant floods, a deEstimation of potential runoff-contributing areas in Kansas using topographic and soil information
Digital topographic and soil information was used to estimate potential runoff-contributing areas throughout Kansas. The results then were used to compare 91 selected subbasins representing soil, slope, and runoff variability. Potential runoff-contributing areas were estimated collectively for the processes of infiltration-excess and saturation-excess overland flow using a set of environmental conSummary of floods in the United States, January 1992 through September 1993
This volume contains a summary of the flooding in the upper Mississippi River Basin during the spring and summer of 1993 and 36 articles describing severe, widespread, or unusual flooding in the United States from January 1, 1992, to the end of the 1993 water year, September 30, 1993. Each flood is described to an extent commensurate with its significance and the availability of data on the hydrolNational water summary 1988–89 — Hydrologic events and floods and droughts
National Water Summary 1988-89 - Hydrologic Events and Floods and Droughts documents the occurrence in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands of two types of extreme hydrologic events floods and droughts on the basis of analysis of stream-discharge data. This report details, for the first time, the areal extent of the most notable floods and droughts in each State, portrays thByWater Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, Utah Water Science Center, Dakota Water Science Center, Central Midwest Water Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science CenterNational water summary 1985: Hydrologic events and surface-water resources
The surface-water resources of the United States, the focal point for this National Water Summary, are extensively developed and managed to provide water supplies, hydroelectric power, navigation, recreational opportunities, and sufficient instream flows to maintain fish and wildlife habitats and adequate water quality. Surface water represents 77 percent of the Nation's total freshwater withdrawaByWater Resources Mission Area, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, Utah Water Science Center, Dakota Water Science Center, Central Midwest Water Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science CenterWater Resources Data, Kansas, Water Year 2002
Water-resources data for the 2002 water year for Kansas consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; elevation and contents of lakes and reservoirs; and water levels of ground-water wells. This report contains records for water discharge at 149 complete-record gaging stations; elevation and contents at 20 lakes and reservoirs; waterquality records at 2 precipitation statioFloods of June 1965 in Arkansas River basin, Colorado, Kansas, and New Mexico
Maximum discharges during the floods of June 1965 in the Arkansas River basin in Colorado, Kansas, and New Mexico were greater than those previously known at 49 of the 137 locations where flood information was obtained. Property damage exceeded $60 million, and 16 lives were lost. At many sites, peak discharges exceeded by severalfold the discharges that may be expected, on the average, once in 50Flood of June 15, 1981, in Great Bend and vicinity, central Kansas
Torrential precipitation, as much as 20 inches in 12 hours, resulted in unprecedented flooding on Dry Walnut Creek in southwestern Barton County, central Kansas. Runoff from the storm caused extensive flooding in the town of Great Bend on June 15, 1981. Estimates of total damages exceeded $42 million. Measurements of peak discharges made in the downstream part of the Dry Walnut Creek watershed wer