Groundwater — Brown County

196 of the 404 points in Brown County — 48.5% — take this source.

What this source means

a well drawing on an aquifer — in western Kansas, almost always the High Plains, the formation people call the Ogallala.

What the series actually shows — this group

Reported use here peaked in 2018 at 2,277 acre-feet and bottomed in 1998 at 755. That swing is rainfall, not policy: a wet year needs less pumping than a dry one, and any two years picked from this table can be made to say almost anything.

Comparing decades instead: the last ten years average 1,828 acre-feet a year against 789 in the first ten — higher. And the number of points reporting any use moved from 16 to 41: the count of straws in the ground barely changes, whatever the year does to the volume.

Reported use for these points, year by year. « Points reporting » counts those returning more than nought — a 0 is not a finding, see below.
Year	Acre-feet	Acres irrigated	Points reporting
1990	807	0	16
1991	863	0	17
1992	760	0	17
1993	771	0	18
1994	772	0	17
1995	848	0	17
1996	791	0	12
1997	766	0	14
1998	755	0	12
1999	758	0	13
2000	860	0	14
2001	804	0	14
2002	812	0	13
2003	783	0	12
2004	770	0	10
2005	781	0	13
2006	786	0	14
2007	808	0	13
2008	880	270	13
2009	918	826	17
2010	1,169	1,236	17
2011	1,116	1,531	22
2012	1,967	1,930	27
2013	1,722	2,381	28
2014	1,730	2,453	28
2015	1,568	2,755	35
2016	1,962	2,741	34
2017	2,180	2,944	36
2018	2,277	2,883	36
2019	1,436	2,980	39
2020	1,551	3,135	37
2021	1,580	3,074	39
2022	2,176	3,547	42
2023	1,820	3,346	41

⚠️ What a zero here does not mean

155 of the 196 points in this group report 0 acre-feet for 2023, and 192 show five or more successive years at 0 in this file.

A 0 in this file is not a finding. There are no blanks in the usage columns — every point carries a number for every year — so a nil return, a point that did not yet exist, and a report never filed all read the same. Kansas fines non-filing (USD 250 per file, USD 1,000 and suspension after 1 June), which is exactly why a missing report looks like a quiet year.

Kansas does terminate a water right after five successive years without beneficial use — K.S.A. 82a-718 — but only without due and sufficient cause, and only after a hearing before the chief engineer with 30 days’ notice. Four causes are recognised in K.A.R. 5-7-1, including adequate rainfall and water being unavailable at the source, and enrolment in the water rights conservation programme counts as one. A run of zeros here is a reason to check, never a conclusion.

Buying or defending irrigated ground in Brown County?

196 points of diversion sit in Brown County, reporting 1,820 acre-feet in 2023. What a right is actually worth turns on how much it has been used and on whether it can be defended — questions this site cannot answer for a particular file. Tell us where and we pass the request to Kansas water lawyers and consultants.

We recommend nobody and we are nobody's agent. We have no arrangement with any firm today — we are collecting these requests in order to go and find them. What we do with this.

The points

groundwater, Brown County, ordered by reported use in 2023. The last column counts the longest run of years at 0 in this file — a fact about the file, not a finding about the right.
Point	County	Source	2023 (AF)	10-yr avg	Acres 2023	Longest run of 0
74826	Brown	ground	230	169	270	18
40329	Brown	ground	161	167	0	0
8349	Brown	ground	137	136	0	4
74352	Brown	ground	105	76	130	18
79865	Brown	ground	80	30	72	23
86234	Brown	ground	75	36	0	27
86235	Brown	ground	73	36	0	27
50	Brown	ground	71	66	0	0
77936	Brown	ground	68	72	100	21
86233	Brown	ground	59	34	0	27
76388	Brown	ground	55	55	135	19
84441	Brown	ground	55	78	265	25
78152	Brown	ground	53	79	360	22
77223	Brown	ground	51	43	183	21
86510	Brown	ground	47	24	59	28
83751	Brown	ground	44	41	55	25
77817	Brown	ground	43	46	190	21
84146	Brown	ground	40	62	130	25
78055	Brown	ground	36	48	160	22
37558	Brown	ground	31	29	0	19
87869	Brown	ground	31	12	100	31
25872	Brown	ground	30	25	0	19
78373	Brown	ground	28	52	280	22
26398	Brown	ground	26	33	0	0
21114	Brown	ground	26	22	0	19
61062	Brown	ground	24	8	0	29
82881	Brown	ground	23	92	270	24
61031	Brown	ground	23	8	0	29
7919	Brown	ground	22	17	0	19
79667	Brown	ground	18	16	231	22
8268	Brown	ground	10	9	0	19
87129	Brown	ground	10	4	105	32
36173	Brown	ground	9	6	0	7
61032	Brown	ground	6	3	0	21
88111	Brown	ground	5	2	100	31
5949	Brown	ground	4	5	0	6
76835	Brown	ground	4	13	12	25
87126	Brown	ground	3	2	29	32
61061	Brown	ground	2	3	0	29
78721	Brown	ground	1	17	110	21
3525	Brown	ground	0	1	0	6
832	Brown	ground	0	0	0	28
846	Brown	ground	0	0	0	21
7648	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
9088	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
10236	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
11863	Brown	ground	0	0	0	5
13651	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
14295	Brown	ground	0	0	0	32
15823	Brown	ground	0	0	0	20
16232	Brown	ground	0	0	0	23
16804	Brown	ground	0	0	0	27
17771	Brown	ground	0	0	0	33
18205	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
19414	Brown	ground	0	0	0	28
22607	Brown	ground	0	0	0	19
24777	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
26935	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
34325	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
35361	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
36482	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
39540	Brown	ground	0	0	0	21
41980	Brown	ground	0	0	0	30
42285	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
42448	Brown	ground	0	0	0	30
45805	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
46718	Brown	ground	0	0	0	10
51816	Brown	ground	0	0	0	28
54614	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
60321	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
61029	Brown	ground	0	2	0	7
61030	Brown	ground	0	0	0	29
61063	Brown	ground	0	2	0	7
61792	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
61793	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
61794	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
61795	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
61796	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
62204	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
62937	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
65634	Brown	ground	0	0	0	11
69625	Brown	ground	0	60	0	15
69895	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
69896	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
69897	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
72388	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
72976	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
72977	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
73193	Brown	ground	0	0	0	16
73618	Brown	ground	0	0	0	20
73619	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
73620	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
73621	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
73698	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
74353	Brown	ground	0	0	0	19
74354	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
74355	Brown	ground	0	0	0	20
76389	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76390	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76391	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76392	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76393	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76394	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76395	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76396	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76620	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76621	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76831	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76832	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76833	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76834	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76836	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76837	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76838	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76839	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76840	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76841	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76842	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76843	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76844	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76845	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76869	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76892	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
76893	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
77162	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
77222	Brown	ground	0	15	0	26
77281	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
77282	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
77283	Brown	ground	0	9	0	20
78027	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
78028	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
78029	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
78127	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
78128	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
78206	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
78207	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
78208	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
78260	Brown	ground	0	2	0	29
78347	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
78374	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
78375	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
78720	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
78821	Brown	ground	0	0	0	22
78822	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
79864	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
80350	Brown	ground	0	5	0	23
80351	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
80352	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
81278	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
82109	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
82487	Brown	ground	0	1	0	24
82591	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
82892	Brown	ground	0	35	0	25
83245	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
83246	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
83247	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
83248	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
84082	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
84083	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
84084	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
84085	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
84145	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
84442	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
84473	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
84474	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
84475	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
84476	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
86232	Brown	ground	0	17	0	30
86574	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
86748	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
86749	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
86750	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
86751	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
86756	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
86757	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
86758	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
86759	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
87127	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
87128	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
87130	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
87131	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
87320	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
87321	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
87322	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
87323	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
87586	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
87587	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
87588	Brown	ground	0	1	0	32
87870	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
87871	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
87872	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
87873	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
89177	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
89178	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
89179	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34
89180	Brown	ground	0	0	0	34

Part of a bigger picture: all 404 points in Brown County.