Mother Nature did her part last year to help slow the drawdown of the Ogallala Aquifer, the underground freshwater sea that waters western Kansas.

Rainfall at key times lessened crop irrigation last summer. That slowed drops in the groundwater, according to data collected last month by the Kansas Geological Survey.

“We haven’t solved all our issues with timely precipitation, but it goes a long way,” said Brownie Wilson, data manager at the Kansas University-based survey. “Since we started taking over administration of measuring the water levels in 1986, this is the year we’ve seen the best numbers in terms of decline.”

The survey took well measurements at 1,300 sites in central and western Kansas last month. Most of the wells are used for irrigation, though some are used for livestock watering.

Preliminary results show:

• An average decline of 6 inches in the past year in northwestern Kansas, which compares with a decline of just over a foot from January 2003 to January 2004 and an average decline of 0.63 feet during the last decade.
• A slight increase of 0.1 foot in west-central Kansas, compared with a decline of a foot the previous year and an average decline of 0.41 feet in the last decade.
• In southwestern Kansas, a decline of 0.3 feet, compared with a decrease of 2 feet the previous year and an average drop of 1.37 feet during the last 10 years.


Rick Miller measures an irrigation well in Hamilton County. Kansas Geological Survey tests have found groundwater in western Kansas is depleting at a slower rate than in recent years.

• Steady water levels in central Kansas, compared with a foot decline the previous year and an average decline of 0.19 feet during the last decade.

Wilson said the timely rainfall, in addition to better crop and land management, was helping slow depletion of the Ogallala, which is one of the largest aquifers in the world and stretches through parts of eight states.

Though the short-term outlook is better because of the recent well readings, the longer-term outlook for the aquifer remains grim. He said pockets of west-central Kansas already were facing water shortages, with much of southwest Kansas likely facing shortages in the next 25 years.

“With long-term water projections and large-volume demands, it’s hard to stop the decline,” Wilson said. “You can have enhanced management and be as efficient as you possibly can, but it all comes down to consumption by crop, man or beast.”