An Eagle article on the recent rains points to the bonanza for municipalities such as Wichita that depend for a share of their water on the Equus Beds, where water levels have risen 5 feet since January. That translates to 21 billion gallons of water, or about a year’s supply, according to Wichita water director David Warren.
But WE Blogger Jerry Winkelman thinks that the article "gives the false impression that all aquifers in Kansas are being recharged. Rains, even those we have had this summer, do not recharge or raise the level of the Ogallala Aquifer, which underlies most of western Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas."
Posted by Randy Scholfield
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14 Comments
Generally speaking, ‘water table’ aquifers like the Equus will recharge fairly well. However, deeper aquifers like the Ogalalla will not. In effect, we are ‘mining’ a resource there that was deposited in geologic time.
I have long advocated flood-control practices that focus on Detention/Retention rather than channelizing. The idea is to hold the water back rather than speeding it up. This does two things: (1) facilitate recharge and maintain streamflow during dry times and (2) protect downstream areas from flooding.
I have not seen any recent data from the Ogalalla but I would wager that JWink is correct.
Here’s an article on 2005/2006 data. They indicated a drop in water levels.http://www.krewg.org/General/News/2007/water_levels.html
and here
http://www.kgs.ku.edu/Hydro/Levels/2006/OFR06_20/index.html
I’m sure there is data from 2007, but not yet combined in a statistical summary.
I also noticed from the U.S. drought monitor stats tables that only far southwest Kansas was included in the minimal drought areas. The rest of Kansas was far above normal.
Thanks Rep – confirms that they are not recharging.
“With the Arkansas River flowing so full, the city of Wichita has begun injecting 10 million gallons of water a day back into the aquifer to further increase water levels, Warren said.
The water is run through the treatment plant to remove impurities before it is pumped underground, he said.
The city hopes to increase that to 30 to 40 million gallons a day, he said.”
JWink – note that the water is treated. Also, it gets the natural filtration from the aquifer. The recharge project is a good one. It is simply ‘boosting’ what happens naturally along the Little Ark.
Ben,
Why cant the city increase the “recharge” to the same levels as what we are taking out? basically recycling the water through one huge filter?
Ben; I wasn’t criticizing the recharge program into the Equus Beds aquifer from storm water in the Little Arkansas River near Halstead. My only concern is that raw water is being pumped into the Equus Bed aquifer. However, if the raw storm water is being treated before recharging, I’m all for it.
Regarding the Equus Beds aquifer and the vast Ogallala aquifer in western portions of several states, I think the Equus Beds do recharge faster than the eons old Ogallala aquifer.
I hope some people who work in the water field will chime in here with more information.
JWink – that is pretty much what I said up top – the Equus recharges, the Ogalalla pretty much does not.
I heard on NPR that the Ogalalla acquifer water table is deeper and the water must go through clay and shale to recharge the acquifer. Thus the process takes longer.
The rains have helped with the Ogalalla acquifer in that less is being pumped out now due to the abundant rains.
I wouldn’t count on that Steve. Go out to Western Kansas were they are irrigating the corn corps. Those sprinklers run every day from seed to harvest almost non-stop. They only shut them down at night to keep mushrooms from sprouting too much.
Regardless if it rains, those sprinklers are still going.
The problem in western KS is that they re growing wet-climate crops like corn and soybeans. Even in an above-average rain year there isn’t enough water without mining it.
Joe & Ben,
That is too bad.
Several days ago, WE Blog’s “Community Thread” received a lot of good comments on water usage, aquifers, dangers of ethanol production in Kansas.
Also Ben Huie mentioned an interesting conference by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment scheduled for August in Hutchinson.
For readers interested in environmental issues, you might want to scroll down to those comments on this blog.
I should have mentioned above that the date of the “community thread” which received a lot of “Kansas water usage, aquifers and ethanol” related comments was JUNE 23, about three days ago.
I am personally very concerned by the draw-down of our Ogallala aquifer by corporations for ethanol manufacture and for the proposed coal-fired power plants.
I would like to challenge our Kansas resident expert on ethanol production, Dave Vander Griend, CEO of the ICM Corporation in Colwich, Ks., to conduct a question/answer session on ethanol and water usage. Perhaps he could alleviate concerns by the public and myself on the impending danger of water usage for ethanol manufacturing in Kansas.
JWink – I have been told that he has done so in the past. However, at the KDHE Conference I will raise that issue and suggest that he find a forum in Wichita to do so again. Perhaps the Chamber could host such a discussion? I know that at least one representative of ICM will be presenting at the Conference; I owuld guess that Mr. Van der Griend will be there as well.