Kansas water use in 2003
5,319,435 acre-feet reported across 27,151 points — 2% above the 1990–2023 average.
5,319,435Acre-feet
27,151Points reporting
3,151,822Acres irrigated
+2%vs 34-yr average
What 2003 was
Kansas reported 5,319,435 acre-feet in 2003, 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 27,151. That number moves far less than the volume does, in 2003 as in every other year.
Which counties used the most in 2003
| County | Acre-feet | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Douglas | 794,750 | 14.9% |
| Finney | 350,888 | 6.6% |
| Haskell | 257,956 | 4.8% |
| Gray | 242,771 | 4.6% |
| Stevens | 209,568 | 3.9% |
| Seward | 166,634 | 3.1% |
| Kearny | 161,724 | 3.0% |
| Meade | 160,923 | 3.0% |
| Grant | 153,062 | 2.9% |
| Sherman | 147,839 | 2.8% |
| Stanton | 143,779 | 2.7% |
| Wyandotte | 131,670 | 2.5% |
| Edwards | 129,226 | 2.4% |
| Thomas | 125,112 | 2.4% |
| Sedgwick | 117,430 | 2.2% |
| Ford | 115,844 | 2.2% |
| Pratt | 114,568 | 2.2% |
| Stafford | 109,349 | 2.1% |
| Sheridan | 100,785 | 1.9% |
| Pawnee | 88,662 | 1.7% |
| Reno | 81,256 | 1.5% |
| Wallace | 69,149 | 1.3% |
| Kiowa | 68,330 | 1.3% |
| Wichita | 67,373 | 1.3% |
| Scott | 66,549 | 1.3% |
By management district in 2003
| District | Acre-feet | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Southwest Kansas GMD 3 | 2,022,731 | 38.0% |
| Outside any district | 1,742,735 | 32.8% |
| Big Bend GMD 5 | 609,426 | 11.5% |
| Northwest Kansas GMD 4 | 486,495 | 9.1% |
| Western Kansas GMD 1 | 245,643 | 4.6% |
| Equus Beds GMD 2 | 212,404 | 4.0% |