Kansas water use in 1996
5,605,153 acre-feet reported across 26,073 points — 7% above the 1990–2023 average.
5,605,153Acre-feet
26,073Points reporting
3,091,384Acres irrigated
+7%vs 34-yr average
What 1996 was
Kansas reported 5,605,153 acre-feet in 1996, against a 1990–2023 average of 5,214,505. Reported use follows the weather far more than anything else, so a single year says more about rainfall than about policy — which is why every page on this site shows the whole series rather than a comparison between two years.
The count of points reporting any use was 26,073. That number moves far less than the volume does, in 1996 as in every other year.
Which counties used the most in 1996
| County | Acre-feet | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Douglas | 1,388,852 | 24.8% |
| Finney | 317,933 | 5.7% |
| Haskell | 286,923 | 5.1% |
| Kearny | 223,086 | 4.0% |
| Gray | 220,625 | 3.9% |
| Stevens | 214,740 | 3.8% |
| Grant | 179,010 | 3.2% |
| Seward | 176,235 | 3.1% |
| Meade | 168,431 | 3.0% |
| Stanton | 158,850 | 2.8% |
| Sherman | 118,937 | 2.1% |
| Wyandotte | 104,739 | 1.9% |
| Sedgwick | 104,116 | 1.9% |
| Thomas | 100,826 | 1.8% |
| Ford | 96,948 | 1.7% |
| Stafford | 83,271 | 1.5% |
| Wallace | 81,011 | 1.4% |
| Wichita | 80,050 | 1.4% |
| Jewell | 77,517 | 1.4% |
| Edwards | 76,354 | 1.4% |
| Pratt | 73,951 | 1.3% |
| Sheridan | 73,081 | 1.3% |
| Reno | 60,734 | 1.1% |
| Morton | 57,733 | 1.0% |
| Scott | 56,586 | 1.0% |
By management district in 1996
| District | Acre-feet | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Outside any district | 2,273,099 | 40.6% |
| Southwest Kansas GMD 3 | 2,116,947 | 37.8% |
| Big Bend GMD 5 | 412,996 | 7.4% |
| Northwest Kansas GMD 4 | 376,756 | 6.7% |
| Western Kansas GMD 1 | 259,354 | 4.6% |
| Equus Beds GMD 2 | 166,001 | 3.0% |