Kansas water use in 2021
5,793,607 acre-feet reported across 26,343 points — 11% above the 1990–2023 average.
5,793,607Acre-feet
26,343Points reporting
3,144,084Acres irrigated
+11%vs 34-yr average
What 2021 was
Kansas reported 5,793,607 acre-feet in 2021, 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 26,343. That number moves far less than the volume does, in 2021 as in every other year.
Which counties used the most in 2021
| County | Acre-feet | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Douglas | 2,046,700 | 35.3% |
| Finney | 261,363 | 4.5% |
| Stevens | 227,695 | 3.9% |
| Seward | 175,368 | 3.0% |
| Meade | 172,222 | 3.0% |
| Haskell | 158,986 | 2.7% |
| Gray | 158,370 | 2.7% |
| Kearny | 148,054 | 2.6% |
| Sherman | 127,973 | 2.2% |
| Grant | 116,857 | 2.0% |
| Pratt | 106,972 | 1.8% |
| Edwards | 104,874 | 1.8% |
| Stanton | 102,929 | 1.8% |
| Stafford | 100,599 | 1.7% |
| Ford | 100,562 | 1.7% |
| Sedgwick | 99,437 | 1.7% |
| Thomas | 97,735 | 1.7% |
| Wyandotte | 95,969 | 1.7% |
| Reno | 80,872 | 1.4% |
| Pawnee | 72,127 | 1.2% |
| Kiowa | 66,471 | 1.1% |
| Sheridan | 65,427 | 1.1% |
| Cheyenne | 57,325 | 1.0% |
| Harvey | 51,776 | 0.9% |
| Morton | 51,336 | 0.9% |
By management district in 2021
| District | Acre-feet | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Outside any district | 2,849,403 | 49.2% |
| Southwest Kansas GMD 3 | 1,692,845 | 29.2% |
| Big Bend GMD 5 | 525,969 | 9.1% |
| Northwest Kansas GMD 4 | 392,732 | 6.8% |
| Equus Beds GMD 2 | 195,251 | 3.4% |
| Western Kansas GMD 1 | 137,408 | 2.4% |