Groundwater — Cowley County

242 of the 394 points in Cowley County — 61.4% — 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 2022 at 9,117 acre-feet and bottomed in 2000 at 3,894. 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 7,776 acre-feet a year against 6,399 in the first ten — higher. And the number of points reporting any use moved from 62 to 55: 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	8,785	1,117	62
1991	8,441	1,028	55
1992	6,840	540	48
1993	6,724	764	49
1994	7,291	1,163	43
1995	6,058	1,080	47
1996	6,198	1,115	54
1997	5,015	1,408	46
1998	4,644	1,163	50
1999	3,995	702	45
2000	3,894	924	43
2001	4,310	747	39
2002	4,052	820	44
2003	4,410	899	41
2004	4,282	1,402	40
2005	4,660	1,416	39
2006	5,103	1,543	44
2007	4,692	1,396	41
2008	4,668	1,386	40
2009	9,055	1,734	41
2010	8,298	1,733	44
2011	8,174	1,750	45
2012	8,090	1,763	47
2013	6,397	1,924	48
2014	6,315	1,923	50
2015	7,147	1,857	50
2016	7,263	1,871	51
2017	8,147	2,059	54
2018	7,636	1,979	52
2019	7,437	2,038	50
2020	8,129	2,024	54
2021	8,429	2,024	55
2022	9,117	2,027	56
2023	8,138	2,101	55

⚠️ What a zero here does not mean

187 of the 242 points in this group report 0 acre-feet for 2023, and 219 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 Cowley County?

242 points of diversion sit in Cowley County, reporting 8,138 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, Cowley 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
65015	Cowley	ground	1,559	1,857	0	10
14882	Cowley	ground	434	359	0	1
52711	Cowley	ground	433	355	0	1
25341	Cowley	ground	427	392	0	0
45285	Cowley	ground	377	348	0	1
6608	Cowley	ground	376	360	0	1
32522	Cowley	ground	366	279	0	4
85047	Cowley	ground	340	256	0	27
45011	Cowley	ground	337	359	0	1
86637	Cowley	ground	333	111	0	31
1098	Cowley	ground	328	295	0	1
74902	Cowley	ground	292	314	0	18
28695	Cowley	ground	160	99	0	16
75505	Cowley	ground	158	114	130	21
72618	Cowley	ground	141	120	135	16
80234	Cowley	ground	140	88	126	22
20724	Cowley	ground	136	98	0	16
35514	Cowley	ground	131	131	0	1
28679	Cowley	ground	130	63	0	3
82624	Cowley	ground	107	70	135	27
68696	Cowley	ground	105	79	126	14
72391	Cowley	ground	87	77	251	21
30245	Cowley	ground	86	53	0	0
68707	Cowley	ground	85	76	69	14
80125	Cowley	ground	80	66	67	24
78302	Cowley	ground	76	87	61	21
9347	Cowley	ground	61	25	100	16
30744	Cowley	ground	61	51	66	4
67357	Cowley	ground	53	40	80	14
18496	Cowley	ground	52	18	0	30
89278	Cowley	ground	49	13	94	32
22878	Cowley	ground	48	59	74	3
75492	Cowley	ground	45	48	130	19
50093	Cowley	ground	42	35	67	13
4657	Cowley	ground	41	38	0	0
48662	Cowley	ground	39	15	0	30
11178	Cowley	ground	38	14	0	30
45565	Cowley	ground	37	33	0	1
4737	Cowley	ground	35	26	0	0
15655	Cowley	ground	34	27	0	1
66148	Cowley	ground	33	3	0	33
41301	Cowley	ground	30	17	125	23
43019	Cowley	ground	27	21	44	5
26778	Cowley	ground	25	16	36	19
9102	Cowley	ground	24	18	66	4
33672	Cowley	ground	24	30	36	21
74000	Cowley	ground	21	13	30	18
27726	Cowley	ground	18	23	0	29
52895	Cowley	ground	17	40	0	3
28988	Cowley	ground	16	78	0	1
13485	Cowley	ground	13	20	26	4
39885	Cowley	ground	12	15	0	26
50618	Cowley	ground	9	20	14	14
54041	Cowley	ground	6	6	0	6
81806	Cowley	ground	5	5	13	26
28	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
41	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
650	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	30
1061	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	31
1257	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
1310	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	33
1683	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
1709	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	33
1714	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
1736	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
3451	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	23
3637	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	25
3974	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	33
4175	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
4186	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	27
5959	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	33
6234	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	19
6880	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
7607	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	33
7610	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	16
8891	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	27
9098	Cowley	ground	0	1	0	9
9500	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	12
9650	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	30
9857	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	21
10365	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	32
10388	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
10858	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
10909	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	19
12081	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
12534	Cowley	ground	0	15	0	18
13604	Cowley	ground	0	15	0	26
13688	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	16
14102	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	31
16513	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
16544	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
16780	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	16
17087	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
17176	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	14
18213	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
18402	Cowley	ground	0	65	0	1
19474	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	6
20805	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
21027	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
21105	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	19
21521	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
21583	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	21
21729	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
22114	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	20
23010	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
23312	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	21
23632	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	29
23966	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	17
24164	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
24166	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	17
24418	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	24
24465	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
24489	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
25359	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
25692	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
25825	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
25847	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
25970	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	29
26630	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
26901	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
27170	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	24
27374	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	33
27601	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
28425	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
28752	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	25
30496	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
30512	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	33
30734	Cowley	ground	0	6	0	18
30748	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
32600	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
32891	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
33679	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	32
36197	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
36483	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
36595	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
37741	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
38463	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	10
39157	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	29
39724	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
40206	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	27
40461	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
40611	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
42784	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
43272	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
44779	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
44924	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	21
45574	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	26
45944	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
45959	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
46282	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
46388	Cowley	ground	0	156	0	6
46992	Cowley	ground	0	42	0	2
47004	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	24
47035	Cowley	ground	0	15	0	5
47394	Cowley	ground	0	4	0	16
47960	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	33
51940	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	31
52727	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
53229	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
63239	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	11
65380	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	12
66147	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
66149	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
67124	Cowley	ground	0	14	0	12
67125	Cowley	ground	0	46	0	12
67795	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	20
67796	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
68697	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
68698	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
68699	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
68708	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
68709	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
68710	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
68754	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
68755	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
68756	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
68757	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
72620	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
72632	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
73040	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
73278	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
73419	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
73421	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
73422	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
73423	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
73996	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	17
75493	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
75494	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	21
75495	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
75496	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
75506	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
75511	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
76048	Cowley	ground	0	16	0	19
76174	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
76878	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
78303	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
78304	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
78305	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
78306	Cowley	ground	0	0	0	34
79367	Cowley	ground	0	77	0	24

Part of a bigger picture: all 394 points in Cowley County.