Kansas water use in 2015
4,768,277 acre-feet reported across 26,394 points — 9% below the 1990–2023 average.
4,768,277Acre-feet
26,394Points reporting
3,125,738Acres irrigated
-9%vs 34-yr average
What 2015 was
Kansas reported 4,768,277 acre-feet in 2015, 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 26,394. That number moves far less than the volume does, in 2015 as in every other year.
Which counties used the most in 2015
| County | Acre-feet | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Douglas | 1,174,334 | 24.6% |
| Finney | 258,154 | 5.4% |
| Stevens | 208,655 | 4.4% |
| Kearny | 171,327 | 3.6% |
| Seward | 165,253 | 3.5% |
| Haskell | 156,988 | 3.3% |
| Gray | 148,109 | 3.1% |
| Meade | 145,843 | 3.1% |
| Sherman | 116,833 | 2.5% |
| Grant | 112,806 | 2.4% |
| Edwards | 112,582 | 2.4% |
| Sedgwick | 105,810 | 2.2% |
| Stafford | 101,227 | 2.1% |
| Stanton | 99,426 | 2.1% |
| Pratt | 96,894 | 2.0% |
| Thomas | 95,956 | 2.0% |
| Ford | 93,901 | 2.0% |
| Reno | 76,532 | 1.6% |
| Pawnee | 72,132 | 1.5% |
| Wyandotte | 71,757 | 1.5% |
| Sheridan | 70,250 | 1.5% |
| Kiowa | 66,345 | 1.4% |
| Cheyenne | 56,208 | 1.2% |
| Morton | 47,033 | 1.0% |
| Barton | 45,336 | 1.0% |
By management district in 2015
| District | Acre-feet | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Outside any district | 1,914,493 | 40.2% |
| Southwest Kansas GMD 3 | 1,627,001 | 34.1% |
| Big Bend GMD 5 | 526,683 | 11.0% |
| Northwest Kansas GMD 4 | 386,201 | 8.1% |
| Equus Beds GMD 2 | 163,048 | 3.4% |
| Western Kansas GMD 1 | 150,851 | 3.2% |