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Kansas
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The Southwest Region ranges from the Colorado Rockies to the Gulf Coast and the Western Deserts to the Great Plains. The Southwest Region conducts multi- and interdisciplinary research and monitoring in locations across the Region, the United States, around the world, and across our solar system.
News
A carbonatite here, a glacial moraine there, a zig-zagging fault or two, even a behemoth of a batholith. The geology of the 50 States is an enormous patchwork of varied forms, beautiful in their variance but challenging to present as a single map.
Human activity, such as groundwater pumping, land management, reservoir operations and urbanization, has a measurable effect on streamflows in Kansas locally, regionally and statewide, according to a new report by the U.S. Geological Survey, done in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism.
The U.S. Geological Survey has released a new report detailing changes of groundwater levels in the High Plains aquifer. The report presents water-level change data in the aquifer for two separate periods: from 1950 – the time prior to significant groundwater irrigation development – to 2015, and from 2013 to 2015.
Publications
Predicting cyanobacterial abundance, microcystin, and geosmin in a eutrophic drinking-water reservoir using a 14-year dataset
Cyanobacterial blooms degrade water quality in drinking water supply reservoirs by producing toxic and taste-and-odor causing secondary metabolites, which ultimately cause public health concerns and lead to increased treatment costs for water utilities. There have been numerous attempts to create models that predict cyanobacteria and their...
Harris, Ted D.; Graham, Jennifer L.
Historical files from Federal Government mineral exploration-assistance programs, 1950 to 1974
The Defense Minerals Administration (DMA), Defense Minerals Exploration Administration (DMEA), and Office of Minerals Exploration (OME) mineral exploration programs were active over the period 1950–1974. Under these programs, the Federal Government contributed financial assistance in the exploration for certain strategic and critical minerals. The...
Frank, David G.
Logistic and linear regression model documentation for statistical relations between continuous real-time and discrete water-quality constituents in the Kansas River, Kansas, July 2012 through June 2015
The Kansas River is a primary source of drinking water for about 800,000 people in northeastern Kansas. Source-water supplies are treated by a combination of chemical and physical processes to remove contaminants before distribution. Advanced notification of changing water-quality conditions and cyanobacteria and associated toxin and taste-and-...
Foster, Guy M.; Graham, Jennifer L.
Bird Banding Laboratory
The Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) is an integrated scientific program established in 1920 supporting the collection, archiving, management and dissemination of information from banded and marked birds in North America. This information is used to monitor the status and trends of resident and migratory bird populations. Because birds are good indicators of the health of the environment, the...
Milford Lake
The USGS Kansas Water Science Center, in cooperation with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), has been studying the extreme cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABS) occurring annually in Milford Lake. CyanoHABs on Milford Lake have impacted local businesses economically, and there have been documented human illnesses and animal deaths associated with the blooms....
Ozark Plateaus Groundwater Availability Study
The U.S. Geological Survey's Groundwater Resources Program (GWRP) is conducting an assessment of groundwater availability throughout the United States to gain a better understanding of the status of the Nation's groundwater resources and how changes in water use and climate may affect those resources.
...
Tri-State Ground-Water Modeling
Short Title: Tri-State Ground-Water Model
Project Chief: Jonathan Gillip
Cooperators: Kansas Water Board
Project Time Frame: 2005 - present
To assess the effect that increased water use is having on the long-term availability of groundwater within the Ozark Plateaus aquifer system, a...
Fluvial Geomorphology
An understanding of river- and stream-channel geomorphic responses to various human-caused and natural disturbances is important for effective management, conservation, and rehabilitation of rivers and streams to accommodate multiple, often conflicting, needs. Channel changes may have implications for the protection of property and structures, water supply, navigation, and habitat. The channel...
Urban Water Quality Monitoring in Johnson County Kansas
Johnson County, a suburban part of the Kansas City metropolitan area, is one of the most populated counties in Kansas with 544,000 people in 2010, a 21 percent increase in population since 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Located in northeastern Kansas, about one-half of the county is urban. Urban, industrial, and agricultural land uses affect the quality of streams and lakes in the...
Cheney Reservoir and Water Quality Studies
Cheney Reservoir is located on the North Fork Ninnescah River in south-central Kansas, 20 miles west of Wichita. Cheney Reservoir is the primary drinking water supply for the city and a popular recreational resource for the region. After cyanobacterial blooms in 1990 and 1991, which caused servere taste-and-odor events, the USGS Kansas Water Science Center partnered with the City of Wichita ...
Effects of Wastewater Discharge and Treatment Facility Upgrades on Environmental and Biological Conditions of Indian Creek, Johnson County, Kansas
The purpose of the study is to assess the effects of wastewater discharge and treatment facility upgrades on the environmental and biological conditions of Indian Creek, downstream from the Middle Basin wastewater treatment facility (WWTF). Streamflow, discrete and continuously measured stream-water chemistry, streambed-sediment chemistry, and habitat data will be used to: evaluate differences...
Lakes and Reservoirs in Kansas
The lakes and reservoirs in Kansas are located in two major river basins—the Missouri River Basin and the Arkansas River Basin. Basin summaries and individual lake and reservoir information are available courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S Bureau of Reclamation.
Kansas Drought
Droughts affect more people in North America than any other natural hazard. The cost of losses due to drought in the United States averages $8-9 billion every year. In Kansas, the droughts of the 1930s and 1950s resulted in severe economic impacts that included crop losses and damage, high livestock mortality rates, tree loss due to disease, damage to fish habitat due to low streamflows, and...
Ozark Groundwater Availability Study
The U.S. Geological Survey's Groundwater Resources Program (GWRP) is conducting an assessment of groundwater availability throughout the United States to gain a better understanding of the status of the Nation's groundwater resources and how changes in water use and climate may affect those resources. Assessments will be completed for the Nation's principal aquifer systems to help characterize...
Analytical Capabilities, Sample Requirements, and Instrumentation
OGRL works independently or collaboratively to pair fate and transport with biological
experiments and effects. OGRL has three main focuses:
1. Development and modification of robust analytical methods needed for analysis of
compounds in multiple matrices to address relevant environmental health issues.
2. Conduct independent and collaborative lab to national based...
Streamflow Statistics
Streamflow statistics for the state of Kansas.
Cowskin Creek Flood Watch
A Map showing various levels of the 1998 Cowskin Creek Flood.
Prospect- and Mine-Related Features from U.S. Geological Survey 7.5- and 15-Minute Topographic Quadrangle Maps of the United States
These data are part of a larger USGS project to develop an updated geospatial database of mines, mineral deposits and mineral regions in the United States. Mine and prospect-related symbols, such as those used to represent prospect pits, mines, adits, dumps, tailings, etc., are currently being digitized on a state-by-state basis from USGS Historical Topographic Maps.
National Water Information System (NWIS)
The National Water Information System (NWIS) web application provides access to surface-water, groundwater, water-quality, and water-use data collected at approximately 1.5 million sites across all 50 states.
National Water Information System (NWIS) Mapper
The National Water Information System (NWIS) Mapper provides access to water-resources data at over 1.5 million sites across the U.S., including current and historical data. Users can search by site type, data type, site number, or place.
National Weather Service AHPS, Kansas
Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS) is a new and essential component of our Climate, Water, and Weather Services. AHPS is a web-based suite of accurate and information-rich forecast products. They display the magnitude and uncertainty of occurrence of floods or droughts, from hours to days and months, in advance.
Phytoplankton data for Cheney Reservoir near Cheney, Kansas, June 2001 through November 2015
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Data Release provides phytoplankton data collected from Cheney Reservoir, Kansas, during June 2001 through November 2015.
USGS WaterAlert Service
Now you can receive instant, customized updates about water conditions by subscribing toWaterAlert, a new service from the U.S. Geological Survey. WaterAlert allows you to receive daily or hourly updates about current conditions in rivers, lakes and groundwater when they match conditions of concern to you.
Flood Watch for Kansas
Maps of flood and high flow conditions within Kansas
WaterWatch Real-time streamflow data for Kansas
WaterWatch displays maps, graphs, and tables describing real-time, recent, and past streamflow conditions for the United States, including flood and droughts. Real-time information generally is updated on an hourly basis.
WaterQualityWatch for Kansas
WaterQualityWatch provides access to real time water-quality data collected in surface waters in Kansas, including streamflow, water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and nitrate.
Surface-water data for Kansas
Real-time, daily, peak-flow, field measurements, and statistics of current and historical data that describe stream levels, streamflow (discharge), reservoir and lake levels, surface-water quality, and rainfall in Kansas. Surface-water data are collected and stored as either discrete field-water-level measurements or as continuous time-series data from automated recorders.
Digital map of aquifer boundary for the High Plains aquifer in parts of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming - This digital data set represents the extent of the High Plains aquifer in the central United States
An interactive map of Johnson County with sites.
This map shows the location of stream gages where the water level is currently at or above flood stage (depicted as a black triangle) or at high flow (depicted as blue circles) The high flow conditions are expressed as percentiles that compare the current (i.e., within the past several hours) instantaneous flow value to historical daily mean flow values
Study area for the Kansas River Algal project.
The purpose of the study is to assess the effects of wastewater discharge and treatment facility upgrades on the environmental and biological conditions of Indian Creek, downstream from the Middle Basin wastewater treatment facility (WWTF).
Equus Site Map has various wells and recharge points in the Equus study area to promote water recharge.
The 3DEP products and services available through The National Map consist of standard digital elevation models (DEMs) at various horizontal resolutions, elevation source and associated datasets, an elevation point query service and bulk point query service. All 3DEP products are available, free of charge and without use restrictions.
Predicting cyanobacterial abundance, microcystin, and geosmin in a eutrophic drinking-water reservoir using a 14-year dataset
Cyanobacterial blooms degrade water quality in drinking water supply reservoirs by producing toxic and taste-and-odor causing secondary metabolites, which ultimately cause public health concerns and lead to increased treatment costs for water utilities. There have been numerous attempts to create models that predict cyanobacteria and their...
Harris, Ted D.; Graham, Jennifer L.
Spatiotemporal variability of inorganic nutrients during wastewater effluent dominated streamflow conditions in Indian Creek, Johnson County, Kansas, 2012–15
Nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, are a leading cause of water-quality impairment in Kansas and the Nation. Indian Creek is one of the most urban drainage basins in Johnson County, Kansas, and environmental and biological conditions are affected by contaminants from point and other urban sources. The Johnson County Douglas L. Smith...
Foster, Guy M.; Graham, Jennifer L.; Williams, Thomas J.; King, Lindsey R. Historical files from Federal Government mineral exploration-assistance programs, 1950 to 1974
The Defense Minerals Administration (DMA), Defense Minerals Exploration Administration (DMEA), and Office of Minerals Exploration (OME) mineral exploration programs were active over the period 1950–1974. Under these programs, the Federal Government contributed financial assistance in the exploration for certain strategic and critical minerals. The...
Frank, David G. Logistic and linear regression model documentation for statistical relations between continuous real-time and discrete water-quality constituents in the Kansas River, Kansas, July 2012 through June 2015
The Kansas River is a primary source of drinking water for about 800,000 people in northeastern Kansas. Source-water supplies are treated by a combination of chemical and physical processes to remove contaminants before distribution. Advanced notification of changing water-quality conditions and cyanobacteria and associated toxin and taste-and-...
Foster, Guy M.; Graham, Jennifer L.
Flooding in the United States Midwest, 2008
During 2008, record precipitation amounts, coupled with already saturated soils, resulted in flooding along many rivers in the United States Midwest. Separate flooding events occurred in January, February, March, April, May, June, July, and September of 2008. The June floods were by far the most severe and widespread with substantial (and in...
Holmes, Robert R.; Koenig, Todd A.; Karstensen, Krista A. Evidence for a physical linkage between galactic cosmic rays and regional climate time series
The effects of solar variability on regional climate time series were examined using a sequence of physical connections between total solar irradiance (TSI) modulated by galactic cosmic rays (GCRs), and ocean and atmospheric patterns that affect precipitation and streamflow. The solar energy reaching the Earth's surface and its oceans is thought...
Perry, C.A. Midwestern streamflow, precipitation, and atmospheric vorticity influenced by Pacific sea-surface temperatures and total solar-irradiance variations
A solar effect on streamflow in the Midwestern United States is described and supported in a six-step physical connection between total solar irradiance (TSI), tropical sea-surface temperatures (SSTs), extratropical SSTs, jet-stream vorticity, surface-layer vorticity, precipitation, and streamflow. Variations in the correlations among the...
Perry, C.A.
Water Resources Data--Kansas, Water Year 2003
Water-resources data for the 2003 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 148 complete-record gaging stations; elevation and contents at 17 lakes and...
Putnam, J.E.; Schneider, D.R.
Large Floods in the United States: where they happen and why
O'Connor, Jim E.; Costa, John E.
Estimated flood-inundation maps for Cowskin Creek in western Wichita, Kansas
The October 31, 1998, flood on Cowskin Creek in western Wichita, Kansas, caused millions of dollars in damages. Emergency management personnel and flood mitigation teams had difficulty in efficiently identifying areas affected by the flooding, and no warning was given to residents because flood-inundation information was not available. To...
Studley, Seth E. Water 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...
Putnam, J.E.; Schneider, D.R. Channel stability downstream from a dam assessed using aerial photographs and stream-gage information
The stability of the Neosho River channel downstream from John Redmond Dam, in southeast Kansas, was investigated using multiple-date aerial photographs and stream-gage information. Bankfull channel width was used as the primary indicator variable to assess pre- and post-dam channel change. Five six-mile river reaches and four stream gages were...
Juracek, K.E.
Groundwater use from the Ozark Plateaus aquifer system, 1900 to 2010
Groundwater use from the Ozark Plateaus aquifer system, 1900 to 2010” is a short video showing modeled groundwater withdrawal rates from the Ozark Plateaus aquifer system (Ozark system) in the central United States. The Ozark Plateaus Groundwater Availability Study aims to quantify current groundwater resources in the Ozark system, evaluate how these resources have changed over time, and...
Indian Creek in Overland Park
Photo taken along Indian Creek in Overland Park Kansas. Two people walk along the bank in the center of the photo. Foliage covers both banks.
Easton Flood
Water floods over a road in Easton Kansas.
Kansas River at Wamego Boatramp
Photo of the Kansas River and boatramp underneath KS-99 highway at Wamego, Kansas.
March Wildfires Scorch Kansas, Oklahoma Farm and Ranch Land
This March 2017 Landsat 8 image shows massive burned scars in Kansas and Oklahoma. More than 730,000 acres of farm and ranchland were scorched by wind-driven wildfires that began March 6 and were finally extinguished on March 22.
Fires Burn Farms and Ranches in Oklahoma and Kansas
Landsat's shortwave infrared (SWIR) band measures reduced moisture content in soil and vegetation. When combined with its near-infrared (NIR) band, which helps reveal actively growing vegetation, Landsat produces highly accurate images and maps of burned areas.
Pipe installation to monitor harmful algal blooms at Cheney Reservoir
John Rosendale installs a pipe to monitor harmful algal blooms at Cheney Reservoir in Kansas.
Two decades of harmful algal bloom, nutrient and sediment research by the USGS is helping to support Wichita’s long-term vision of a sustainable water supply into the future. Early warning indicators of harmful algal blooms have been developed for Cheney Reservoir, Kansas, according to a new...
Kansas River at De Soto
A look at the Kansas River from its side. On the other side ofthe river trees and power lines can be seen as well as a bridge crossing the river.
River Flood
A river in Easton Kansas washes over a road.
Johnson County Stream
A photo of a Johnson County stream flowing through rocks and greenery on both sides of the stream.
Water-quality sensors kept clean for harmful algal bloom monitoring
Sensors are cleaned with an automatic wiper brush on the continuous water-quality monitors.
Two decades of harmful algal bloom, nutrient and sediment research by the USGS is helping to support Wichita’s long-term vision of a sustainable water supply into the future. Early warning indicators of harmful algal blooms have been developed for Cheney Reservoir, Kansas, according to a new...
Milford Lake from Timelapse Cam
A view of Milford Lake from a timelapse camera installed near the water's edge. In the background the otherside of the lake and a bridge can be seen.
A carbonatite here, a glacial moraine there, a zig-zagging fault or two, even a behemoth of a batholith. The geology of the 50 States is an enormous patchwork of varied forms, beautiful in their variance but challenging to present as a single map.
Human activity, such as groundwater pumping, land management, reservoir operations and urbanization, has a measurable effect on streamflows in Kansas locally, regionally and statewide, according to a new report by the U.S. Geological Survey, done in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism.
The U.S. Geological Survey has released a new report detailing changes of groundwater levels in the High Plains aquifer. The report presents water-level change data in the aquifer for two separate periods: from 1950 – the time prior to significant groundwater irrigation development – to 2015, and from 2013 to 2015.
Two decades of harmful algal bloom, nutrient and sediment research by the U.S. Geological Survey is helping to support Wichita’s long-term vision of a sustainable water supply into the future. Early warning indicators of harmful algal blooms have been developed for Cheney Reservoir, Kansas, according to a new USGS publication done in cooperation with the City of Wichita, Kansas.
Small variations in the density of the earth’s crust—undetectable to humans without sensitive instruments—influence where earthquakes may occur in the central United States. These new findings from the U.S. Geological Survey, published today in Nature Communications, may allow scientists to map where future seismicity in the center of the country is most likely.
Water-level changes from 2002 to 2015 were examined in wells screened in the High Plains aquifer within the Republican River Basin and the results are now available in a new U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map.
A new U.S. Geological Survey publication and model can be applied by multiple entities to better understand flow, quantity, sources and sinks of groundwater in the Northern High Plains Aquifer, which covers approximately 100,000 square miles across Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming.
Bifenthrin combats pests, but may harm aquatic ecosystems
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck in Oklahoma on September 3, 2016 at 12:02:44 UTC (7:02 am local time).
Study shows water quality minimally affected in nearby streams and groundwater
Highest concentrations found in Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois.
First-of-its-kind survey shows that algal toxins are found nationwide
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Locations
Southwest Region Director's Office
Phone: 303.236.5438
Fax: 303.236.5448
Kansas Water Science Center
Phone: (785)-760-0187
Fax: (785) 832-3500
Organic Geochemistry Research Laboratory (OGRL)
Phone: (785) 865-6443
Wichita Field Office
Phone: (316) 773-3225
Hays Field Office
Phone: (785) 623-2848
