Kansas water use in 2016
5,539,658 acre-feet reported across 26,389 points — 6% above the 1990–2023 average.
5,539,658Acre-feet
26,389Points reporting
3,111,109Acres irrigated
+6%vs 34-yr average
What 2016 was
Kansas reported 5,539,658 acre-feet in 2016, 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 26,389. That number moves far less than the volume does, in 2016 as in every other year.
Which counties used the most in 2016
| County | Acre-feet | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Douglas | 2,049,853 | 37.0% |
| Finney | 255,217 | 4.6% |
| Stevens | 212,601 | 3.8% |
| Kearny | 177,526 | 3.2% |
| Seward | 167,407 | 3.0% |
| Haskell | 152,287 | 2.7% |
| Meade | 152,201 | 2.7% |
| Gray | 150,808 | 2.7% |
| Sherman | 118,902 | 2.1% |
| Grant | 112,186 | 2.0% |
| Stanton | 100,340 | 1.8% |
| Thomas | 98,794 | 1.8% |
| Edwards | 97,669 | 1.8% |
| Sedgwick | 94,085 | 1.7% |
| Pratt | 89,662 | 1.6% |
| Ford | 85,182 | 1.5% |
| Wyandotte | 85,103 | 1.5% |
| Stafford | 81,305 | 1.5% |
| Sheridan | 67,056 | 1.2% |
| Kiowa | 58,147 | 1.0% |
| Reno | 56,748 | 1.0% |
| Pawnee | 55,264 | 1.0% |
| Barton | 52,124 | 0.9% |
| Morton | 51,226 | 0.9% |
| Cheyenne | 48,981 | 0.9% |
By management district in 2016
| District | Acre-feet | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Outside any district | 2,792,136 | 50.4% |
| Southwest Kansas GMD 3 | 1,636,486 | 29.5% |
| Big Bend GMD 5 | 457,672 | 8.3% |
| Northwest Kansas GMD 4 | 375,497 | 6.8% |
| Western Kansas GMD 1 | 144,727 | 2.6% |
| Equus Beds GMD 2 | 133,140 | 2.4% |