WATR SECURITYGroundwater Levels Fall Across Western and Central Kansas

Average groundwater levels across western and central Kansas fell by more than a foot in 2021, with the greatest declines in the southwest portion of the state, according to preliminary data compiled by the Kansas Geological Survey.

The KGS, based at the University of Kansas, and the Division of Water Resources (DWR) of the Kansas Department of Agriculture measure about 1,400 wells every year to monitor the health of the High Plains aquifer and other aquifers in western and central Kansas. Those measurements showed an overall average decline of 1.01 feet last year. Most parts of the region saw below-average precipitation for the year, especially during the summer growing season for agricultural crops.

“The key takeaway is that 2021 started off very dry and, outside of the month of May, which is the last month most folks in western Kansas saw any measurable precipitation, dry conditions continued right into the summer and fall months,” said Brownie Wilson, KGS water-data manager.

The 2021 decline followed an overall drop of 0.93 feet in 2020, which was another abnormally dry year. Dry years lead to increased pumping demands, primarily for irrigation, which in turn typically cause greater declines in water levels.

“The entire state is currently in some stage of drought and even with recent snowfalls, I bet it remains that way,” Wilson said.

As of the beginning of February, virtually all of Kansas was under some level of drought conditions, based on maps published by National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Southwest Kansas was experiencing extreme to exceptional drought, with widespread moderate to severe drought across the rest of the western and central Kansas regions covered by the groundwater monitoring program.

The High Plains aquifer is a network of water-bearing rock that extends into eight states. In Kansas, the aquifer comprises three components — the Ogallala aquifer, the Great Bend Prairie aquifer and the Equus Beds. Of these, the Ogallala aquifer underlies most of western Kansas and consists mainly of the Ogallala Formation, a geologic unit that formed from sediment eroded off the uplifting Rocky Mountains.