How deep is the aquifer in Kansas?
Depth to water in this aquifer ranges from 5 to 30 feet (1.5-9 m) but may be as much as 150 feet (45 m) in some areas.
How far down is the water table in Kansas?
Depth to water varies from less than 25 to 50 feet in the Equus Beds, to over 350 feet in Haskell County, based on meas- urements from 2010 to 2012. Southwest Kansas has the greatest saturated thickness with over 300 feet still occur- ring in Seward and Stevens counties.
Where is the deepest part of the Ogallala Aquifer?
The water-saturated thickness of the Ogallala Formation ranges from a few feet to more than 1,000 feet. Its deepest part is 1200 ft. (300 m) and is generally greater in the Northern Plains.
Is Kansas running out of water?
In dealing with the Ogallala Aquifer, western Kansas is running out of water and time. In western Kansas, painful losses feel increasingly imminent. There’s literal loss – the essentially irreversible depletion of Ogallala Aquifer groundwater after the large-scale pumping of it to irrigate crops in recent decades.
How much longer will the Ogallala Aquifer last?
The Ogallala Aquifer, which has been sustaining the Great Plains’ agriculture since the end of the Dust Bowl, has run out of half its resources already. When it runs out, it will take 6,000 years for it to be replenished.
How far does the Ogallala Aquifer stretch?
The depth to the water table of the Ogallala Aquifer varies from actual surface discharge to over 150 meters (500 feet). Generally, the aquifer is found from 15 to 90 meters (50 to 300 feet) below the land surface. The saturated thickness also varies greatly.
How much does it cost to drill a water well in Kansas?
Well Drilling Cost Drilling a well costs $5,500 for an average depth of 150 feet. Most projects range between $1,500 and $12,000. Expect to pay between $15 and $30 per foot of depth, or up to $50 for difficult terrain. For shallow depths, digging may be a more affordable solution as $10 to $25 per foot.
What aquifer does Kansas use?
High Plains Aquifer
The High Plains aquifer components in Kansas are made up of the Ogallala, Great Bend Prairie, and Equus Beds regions as shown on the map below. The High Plains aquifer underlies about 174,000 square miles of the central United States.
What is the average depth of an aquifer?
Aquifers occur from near-surface to deeper than 9,000 metres (30,000 ft). Those closer to the surface are not only more likely to be used for water supply and irrigation, but are also more likely to be replenished by local rainfall.
Does Kansas have a good water supply?
As the dividing line to the prairie and high plains, northeast Kansas and parts of southeast Kansas are verdant with ample supply to fresh ground and surface water. Moving westward, communities in central and western Kansas rely on aquifers, reservoirs, and groundwater wells.
Why is the Ogallala Aquifer running out of water?
Farmers Are Depleting the Ogallala Aquifer Because the Government Pays Them to Do So. But farmers are pulling water out of the Ogallala faster than rain and snow can recharge it. Between 1900 and 2008 they drained some 89 trillion gallons from the aquifer – equivalent to two-thirds of Lake Erie.