Status of groundwater levels and storage volume in the <i>Equus</i> Beds aquifer near Wichita, Kansas, January 2016

Abstract

Status of Groundwater Levels and Storage Volume in the EquusFor an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://store.usgs.gov.Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner. Status of Groundwater Levels and Storage Volume in the Equus Beds Aquifer near Wichita, Kansas, January 2016By Brian J. Klager AbstractThe Equus Beds aquifer in south-central Kansas, which is part of the High Plains aquifer, serves as a source of water for municipal and agricultural users in the area. The city of Wichita has used the Equus Beds aquifer as one of its primary water sources since the 1940s. The aquifer in and around Wichita's well field reached historically low water levels in 1993, prompting the city to adopt new water-use and conservation strategies to ensure future water supply needs were met. Part of the plan was to initiate a managed aquifer recharge program called the Equus Beds Aquifer Storage and Recovery project. The goal of the managed aquifer recharge program is to artificially recharge the Equus Beds aquifer with treated water from the Little Arkansas River. As part of the Equus Beds Aquifer Storage and Recovery project, the city of Wichita and the U.S. Geological Survey have partnered in a long-term cooperative study to monitor and describe the quantity and quality of the water in the Equus Beds aquifer and the Little Arkansas River.The city of Wichita, the Equus Beds Groundwater Management District No. 2, the Kansas Department of Agriculture-Division of Water Resources, and the U.S. Geological Survey collected groundwater levels in numerous wells screened in the Equus Beds aquifer in the area in and around Wichita's well field in January 2016. The measurements were used to interpolate potentiometric surfaces for shallow and deep parts of the aquifer in the study area. These potentiometric surfaces were compared with potentiometric surfaces from previous years to estimate changes in water levels and storage volume in the study area.

Water-quality and geochemical variability in the Little Arkansas River and Equus aquifer, south-central Kansas, 2001–16

“…Hansen and others (2014), Whisnant and others (2015), and Klager (2016) documented water levels and storage volumes in the Equus Beds aquifer. Water levels in the aquifer during 1993 through 2016 increased in the central part of the Equus Beds aquifer study area because the city of Wichita decreased water use from the aquifer by about 40 percent and increased precipitation and infiltration after an all-time low in water levels was measured in 1993.…”

“…The city of Wichita, Kansas, uses the Equus Beds aquifer as a primary municipal water-supply source. Historically, the volume of water that has been pumped out of parts of the Equus beds aquifer by irrigators, industries, and municipalities has exceeded its natural recharge rate; thus, aquifer water levels have decreased substantially (Hansen and others, 2014;Whisnant and others, 2015;Klager, 2016). The lowest water levels were recorded in 1993 and were as much as 50 feet (ft) lower than predevelopment (1940) water levels in some parts of the aquifer (Hansen andAucott, 2001, 2003;Hansen, 2007).…”

“…( fig. 1; Klager, 2016). The primary surface-water drainage for the Equus Beds aquifer is the Little Arkansas River (fig.…”

“…Water levels in the aquifer during 1993 through 2016 increased in the central part of the Equus Beds aquifer study area because the city of Wichita decreased water use from the aquifer by about 40 percent and increased precipitation and infiltration after an all-time low in water levels was measured in 1993. Storage volumes in the aquifer were determined to be about 95 percent of the total aquifer storage (Hansen and others, 2014;Whisnant and others, 2015;Klager, 2016). About 62 percent of the storage volume lost between predevelopment and 1993 has been recovered (Klager, 2016).…”

Water-quality and geochemical variability in the Little Arkansas River and Equus Beds aquifer, south-central Kansas, 2001–16

“…1). Historically, the volume of water that has been pumped out of parts of the aquifer has exceeded its natural recharge rate; thus, aquifer water levels have decreased substantially (Klager, 2016;Whisnant and others, 2015;Hansen and others, 2014). The easternmost area of the aquifer, including the Wichita well field, is susceptible to saltwater contamination from the Arkansas River ( fig.…”