Kansas Data Entry

Annually, water use data (points of diversion, reported diversion quantity, reported acres irrigated, system types, etc) are collected statewide via the Kansas water use reporting system. Data for the model study domain is queried from our Water Right Information System where the water use data is stored, after entry and review.

Since water use is reported by point of diversion, little manipulation of the data is required to develop the pumping files. Each point of diversion is associated with a coordinate and its pumping is assigned to model cells based that location. This same procedure is used to estimate ground water withdrawals within the Almena Irrigation District as well as to estimate pumping for non-irrigation uses required by the Accounting Procedures.

Recharge quantity is computed by point of diversion by multiplying the pumping by the recharge rates prescribed in the accounting procedures for surface water systems with the addition of a new system type for pivots with drops at 12%. Zero recharge is assumed for drip systems. For non-irrigation uses, 50% of the diversion is assumed to be recharge.

Recharge and irrigated acreage distribution

Note: See below for additional information regarding special handling of overlaps within the Almena Irrigation District.

For our 1940-2000 datasets, recharge was essentially applied to the location of the point of diversion, with adjusted when the resulting acreages as greater than the grid cell. For non-irrigation use, recharge will continue to be done in this manner. However, for years 2001, 2002, and beyond, Kansas' method distributes recharge, as well as reported acres irrigated, to the authorized place of use.

Each water right in Kansas has a specified authorized place of use. In many cases, not all authorized lands are irrigated each year. While the annual water use report includes a reporting of the quantity of acres irrigated for that year, the report does not designate the particular acres irrigated. In addition, Kansas system of water rights allow for overlapping places of use and points of diversion between water rights.

To distribute estimated recharge as accurately as data will allow, we utilize a procedure developed by DWR to analyze water right groups with overlaps. A data query is utilized to develop "overlap groups" which is a listing of all the water rights and their points of diversions which have an association with one another, whether overlapping places of use or points of division. Our procedures for distributing recharge and acreages irrigated utilize these overlap groups.

Within WRIS, the authorized place of use is designated by a listing of each quarter-quarter section (commonly known as 40-acre tracts) and the number of acres within it which is authorized for water use under that right.

So for each overlap group the following tasks are done:

the estimated recharge and reported acres irrigated for the year for each point of diversion within an overlap group is summed,
a full listing of the authorized place of use for all water rights within the overlap group is developed, and
the total recharge and reported acres irrigated for the overlap group is distributed proportionally over the groups' total authorized places of use and then distributed to the model grid cells, based on the location.

Additional specifics on the procedures for distributing recharge and acres irrigated is contained in the attached document which details in the program's inputs and outputs.

Almena Irrigation District

The only area in the model domain in Kansas with significant co-mingled lands is the Almena Irrigation District of the Prairie Dog Creek sub-basin. In this area, groundwater is often used to supplement the surface supply of the Irrigation District. Procedures to determine the quantity of groundwater pumping for purposes of the model data sets did not need to be changed since they were determined based on water use records. However, distribution of recharge and determination of acres irrigated were determined based on the following procedures:

A good approximation of the District's lands was developed using GIS and available coverages. See Almena_qq01-02.xls for this listing of the quarter-quarter tracts within the district. The listing may be refined in subsequent years.
Total surface-water diversions were determined based on Bureau records.
Total return flows due to surface-water diversions were developed based on historic methods used by the RRCA.
Groundwater points of diversion within the District boundary or within 0.5 miles outside of the District boundary were assumed to be co-mingled with the District's surface water use. See PDsOverlappingWithAlmena.xls for this listing.
Rather than use the commingled model data files, we assigned the surface water acres based on Almena's report first and then prorated the reported groundwater acres within the boundary of the district so that total reported irrigated acreage was correct. We believe the will yield an appropriate number of irrigated acres in both the base run and the no-Kansas pumping run.

Recharge from other surface water irrigation use

The quantity of recharge from surface water uses was determined based on reported use and system type. The recharge was distributed to the authorized lands in the same manner as groundwater use.

Determination of non-irrigation uses less than 50 AF

As is discussed above, water rights which share either overlapping places of use and/or overlapping points over diversions were placed in a common "overlap groups" for purposes of developing the location of irrigation recharge and the location of the irrigated acres. Non-irrigation uses were also placed in a separate set of overlaps groups. Municipalities and industries should have their water use within a common overlap group. Within the spreadsheet RRCS_Overlap_Group_2003.xls, the page Non_Irr_Use_2003 has a full listing of all non-irrigation reported use within the model domain, regardless of quantity. A pivot table was built to summarize the reported non-irrigation use by group. The page Non_Irr_Use_2003_gt_50AF has all the records from the Non_Irr_Use_2003 page for which the overlap group has more than 50 AF of reported use. This page was used to determine the non-irrigation use over 50AF.

Data Files provided

RRCS_Overlap_Groups_2003Final.xls provides the following data:

Authorized acreage by overlap group for irrigation use, both surface water and groundwater (excluding Almena);
Reported groundwater use by overlap group and point of diversion (PDIV_ID);
Reported surface water use by overlap group and point of diversion (excluding Almena);
Reported use by the Almena irrigation district;
Total reported non-irrigation use for each overlap group numbers;
Reported non-irrigation use by overlap group numbers and point of diversion.

Note: The overlap groups numbers for irrigation and non-irrigation are independent of one another and the reported non-irrigation use includes both surface water and groundwater.

Almena-qq01-02.xls includes data needed to develop recharge estimates for the Almena Irrigation District including authorized place of use, reported use and acreage, and an estimate of return flows (recharge).

PDsOverlappingWithAlmena.xls includes a listing of wells (PD's or points of diversions) with overlaps with the Almena Irrigation District.

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