Kansas water use in 1997
5,493,787 acre-feet reported across 26,354 points — 5% above the 1990–2023 average.
5,493,787Acre-feet
26,354Points reporting
3,160,348Acres irrigated
+5%vs 34-yr average
What 1997 was
Kansas reported 5,493,787 acre-feet in 1997, 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 26,354. That number moves far less than the volume does, in 1997 as in every other year.
Which counties used the most in 1997
| County | Acre-feet | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Douglas | 1,371,926 | 25.0% |
| Finney | 312,800 | 5.7% |
| Haskell | 269,899 | 4.9% |
| Gray | 226,940 | 4.1% |
| Kearny | 222,067 | 4.0% |
| Stevens | 210,442 | 3.8% |
| Seward | 164,434 | 3.0% |
| Grant | 149,909 | 2.7% |
| Stanton | 147,553 | 2.7% |
| Meade | 146,445 | 2.7% |
| Sherman | 134,051 | 2.4% |
| Thomas | 111,977 | 2.0% |
| Wyandotte | 107,279 | 2.0% |
| Sedgwick | 94,204 | 1.7% |
| Ford | 89,648 | 1.6% |
| Jewell | 80,934 | 1.5% |
| Edwards | 78,737 | 1.4% |
| Wichita | 73,327 | 1.3% |
| Sheridan | 72,777 | 1.3% |
| Linn | 72,539 | 1.3% |
| Wallace | 64,845 | 1.2% |
| Pratt | 63,575 | 1.2% |
| Stafford | 63,515 | 1.2% |
| Cheyenne | 60,842 | 1.1% |
| Reno | 59,755 | 1.1% |
By management district in 1997
| District | Acre-feet | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Outside any district | 2,296,555 | 41.8% |
| Southwest Kansas GMD 3 | 2,010,561 | 36.6% |
| Northwest Kansas GMD 4 | 420,944 | 7.7% |
| Big Bend GMD 5 | 381,874 | 7.0% |
| Western Kansas GMD 1 | 232,475 | 4.2% |
| Equus Beds GMD 2 | 151,377 | 2.8% |