Status of the High Plains Aquifer in Kansas

Abstract

The High Plains aquifer (HPA), which includes the Ogallala aquifer, is the primary source of water for western Kansas and is economically the most important groundwater resource in the state. This aquifer and the river-reservoir systems located principally in eastern Kansas are identified as the two most critical water resource components of the state’s Long-Term Vision for the Future of Water Supply in Kansas (https://kwo.ks.gov/water-vision-water-plan/water-vision). Two of the keys to implementing the vision are to clearly define the resource conditions and issues and to review and evaluate progress toward achieving vision goals. This Kansas Geological Survey (KGS) publication addresses these two keys by providing an assessment of the recent and current resource conditions of the HPA. This assessment, which can be used in the future to evaluate progress toward either sustaining or prolonging the life of the aquifer, evaluates water-level and use data for the aquifer for 1996–2016. The KGS plans annual updates to this publication.