Kansas water use in 2020
6,187,504 acre-feet reported across 26,155 points — 19% above the 1990–2023 average.
6,187,504Acre-feet
26,155Points reporting
3,091,762Acres irrigated
+19%vs 34-yr average
What 2020 was
Kansas reported 6,187,504 acre-feet in 2020, 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 26,155. That number moves far less than the volume does, in 2020 as in every other year.
Which counties used the most in 2020
| County | Acre-feet | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Douglas | 2,419,676 | 39.1% |
| Finney | 279,270 | 4.5% |
| Stevens | 239,005 | 3.9% |
| Seward | 176,610 | 2.9% |
| Meade | 168,432 | 2.7% |
| Haskell | 167,928 | 2.7% |
| Gray | 165,874 | 2.7% |
| Kearny | 158,362 | 2.6% |
| Sherman | 129,582 | 2.1% |
| Grant | 123,238 | 2.0% |
| Stanton | 110,008 | 1.8% |
| Thomas | 100,218 | 1.6% |
| Ford | 99,469 | 1.6% |
| Edwards | 96,918 | 1.6% |
| Sedgwick | 93,082 | 1.5% |
| Pratt | 92,474 | 1.5% |
| Wyandotte | 89,489 | 1.4% |
| Stafford | 85,651 | 1.4% |
| Reno | 76,238 | 1.2% |
| Sheridan | 71,956 | 1.2% |
| Pawnee | 68,201 | 1.1% |
| Kiowa | 61,388 | 1.0% |
| Cheyenne | 57,938 | 0.9% |
| Harvey | 54,128 | 0.9% |
| Morton | 53,985 | 0.9% |
By management district in 2020
| District | Acre-feet | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Outside any district | 3,193,427 | 51.6% |
| Southwest Kansas GMD 3 | 1,761,696 | 28.5% |
| Big Bend GMD 5 | 482,312 | 7.8% |
| Northwest Kansas GMD 4 | 402,083 | 6.5% |
| Equus Beds GMD 2 | 190,690 | 3.1% |
| Western Kansas GMD 1 | 157,297 | 2.5% |