Hydrologic Conditions in Kansas, Water Year 2017

The U.S. Geological Survey 

(USGS), in cooperation with Federal, 

State, and local agencies, maintains 

a long-term network of hydrologic 

monitoring stations in Kansas. In water 

year (WY) 2017, the network included 

214 real-time streamgages (hereafter 

referred to as “gages”) and 12 real-time 

reservoir-level monitoring stations. Realtime data are calibrated and validated 

by USGS personnel throughout the year 

with regular measurements of streamflow and lake levels. These data and 

associated analyses provide a unique 

overview of the hydrologic conditions 

and help improve the understanding of 

Kansas’ water resources. Yearly assessments of hydrologic conditions are made 

by comparing statistical analysis of 

current and past WY data for the period 

of record. A WY is the 12-month period 

from October 1 through September 30 

and is designated by the calendar year 

in which it ends. Long-term monitoring of hydrologic conditions in Kansas 

provides crucial information for protecting of human life and property, managing water supplies, forecasting floods, 

operating reservoirs, designing bridges 

and culverts, processing interstate and 

intrastate water rights claims, ecological 

monitoring, and many other uses.

Preceding Conditions and 

Precipitation

Climate normals are three-decade 

averages of climatological variables, 

including precipitation (National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration, 2018). 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration produces a climate 

normals product every 10 years; the 

current dataset includes data from 1981 to 

2010 (National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration, 2018). Most of Kansas 

received greater than normal precipitation in WY 2016. During WY 2017, the 

western part, part of the north-central 

area, and most of the eastern border of 

Kansas received normal to above normal 

precipitation, whereas the central and 

northeastern parts of the State received 

slightly below normal precipitation 

(National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration, 2017). The percentage 

of normal precipitation Kansas received 

in WYs 2016 and 2017 are compared in 

figure 1. At the beginning of WY 2017, 

a little more than 13 percent of the State, 

mostly in southwestern Kansas, was classified as the drought condition “abnormally dry” (fig. 2; National Drought 

Mitigation Center, 2017). By the end of 

the WY about 30 percent was classified 

as abnormally dry, about 9 percent was 

classified as moderate drought, and about 

1 percent of the State was classified as 

severe drought (National Drought Mitigation Center, 2017). The central and northeastern parts of Kansas were the areas of 

the State that were affected by drought 

conditions at the end of the WY (fig. 2; 

National Drought Mitigation Center, 

2017). These areas coincide with the 

parts of the State that received slightly 

below normal precipitation during WY 

2017. The total area affected by drought 

in Kansas at the end of WY 2017 was 

substantially more than at the end of the 

previous 2 WYs; however, figure 3 shows 

that WY 2017 had a smaller percentage 

and far less extreme drought conditions 

than the end of WYs 2011–14 (National 

Drought Mitigation Center, 2017).

Water year 2016

Water year 2017

Normal precipitation, in percent

EXPLANATION

175

150

125

110

100

90

75

50

25

Figure 1. Percentage of normal (1981–

2010) precipitation in Kansas for water 

years 2016 and 2017 (National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration, 2017).

Drought intensity

EXPLANATION

Beginning of water year 2017

End of water year 2017

Abnormally dry

Moderate drought

Severe drought

Figure 2. Drought conditions in Kansas at 

the beginning and end of water year 2017 

(National Drought Mitigation Center, 2017).

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2018–3060

September 2018
EXPLANATION

2011 2012 2013 2014

Water year

2015 2016 2017

100

80

60

40

20

0

Areal coverage of drought conditions, in percent

Exceptional drought

Extreme drought

Severe drought

Moderate drought

Abnormally dry

None

Figure 3. Percent areal coverage of 

drought conditions in Kansas at the end 

of water years 2011–17 (National Drought 

Mitigation Center, 2017).

Streamflow Conditions and 

Drainage Basin Runoff

The streamflow conditions in 

Kansas were normal (25th–75th percentile) throughout most of WY 2017 

(fig. 4; U.S. Geological Survey, 2017a). 

Above normal (76th–90th percentile) 

and much above normal (greater than 

90th percentile) streamflow conditions 

were present in the eastern one-half and 

northwestern corner of the State, whereas 

the drought conditions (fig. 2) contributed 

to below normal (10th–24th percentile) 

and record low streamflow conditions in 

the southwestern part of Kansas at the 

beginning of the WY. These conditions 

remained relatively unchanged until April 

when extensive precipitation throughout 

Kansas caused the streamflow conditions to increase in range from normal 

to record high, except for the extreme 

northwest corner of the State where 

below normal conditions were present. 

By July most of the State had normal 

streamflow conditions. A few areas on the 

eastern and southern border of Kansas 

were elevated to above normal conditions because of localized high intensity 

precipitation. Streamflow conditions 

in central Kansas decreased to below 

normal conditions, whereas the southwest 

corner decreased further to much below 

normal (less than 10th percentile). The 

WY ended with most of the State having 

normal streamflow conditions. Parts of 

central, northeastern, and southeastern 

Kansas had below normal streamflow, 

whereas parts of southwestern and northcentral Kansas had much below normal 

streamflow conditions. These locations 

coincide with the areas of below normal 

precipitation and drought conditions at 

the end of the WY (figs. 1, 2).

Runoff, or streamflow per unit area, 

is a good indicator of precipitation and 

streamflow for a drainage basin. Runoff 

is not solely affected by precipitation 

contributions for a given area because 

of groundwater aquifer recharge and 

reservoir storage, which can prevent 

water from exiting the basin, decreasing 

streamflow (Langbein and Iseri, 1960). 

Quarterly runoff percentiles for WY 2017 

are shown in figure 5. Normal to above 

normal runoff conditions predominated 

throughout most of the WY. Runoff fell 

into the 68th percentile of computed 

runoff and ranked 37th for the State 

(calculated since 1901, U.S. Geological Survey, 2017a). Parts of western and 

central Kansas had below normal to much 

below normal runoff during the first two 

quarters. Intense precipitation in the third 

quarter caused much of the State to have 

above normal runoff conditions. The 

southeastern corner of Kansas had much 

above normal runoff conditions, whereas 

the northwestern and southwestern parts 

of Kansas still suffered from below 

normal runoff. Less precipitation and 

heightened storage in reservoirs caused 

much of northern and central Kansas 

to have below normal and much below 

normal runoff in the last quarter of the 

WY. A few isolated extreme precipitation 

events in the fourth quarter caused the 

eastern border of Kansas to be at above 

normal or much above normal runoff at 

the end of the WY (figs. 1, 5).

Reservoirs

Many of the Federal reservoirs in 

Kansas were at above normal levels at 

the beginning of WY 2017 (table 1). 

All the USGS monitored reservoirs in 

Kansas exceeded their conservation pool 

elevations during the year because of 

heavy precipitation from April through 

June (National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration, 2017) except for Cedar 

Bluff Reservoir near Ellis, Kansas. The 

resulting high water-surface elevations 

October 2016 April 2017

July 2017 September 2017

EXPLANATION

Low Above No data

normal Normal

<10 10–24 25–75 76–90 >90

Below

normal

Much below High

normal

Much above

normal

Percentile classes

Figure 4. Monthly streamflow conditions across Kansas throughout water year 2017 

(U.S. Geological Survey, 2017a).
October–December 2016 January–March 2017

April–June 2017 July–September 2017

EXPLANATION

Low Above No data

normal Normal

<10 10–24 25–75 76–90 >90

Below

normal

Much below High

normal

Much above

normal

Percentile classes

Figure 5. Quarterly runoff conditions across Kansas throughout water year 2017 

(U.S. Geological Survey, 2017a).

caused many Kansas reservoirs to release 

higher outflows in April, May, and 

June; these reservoirs continued steady 

outflows during the other summer months 

to reach their respective target conservation pool elevations (U.S. Geological Survey, 2017b). A good example 

of this is Melvern Lake near Melvern, 

Kans. (station 06910997; figs. 6, 7), and 

the gage below the lake outflow, the 

Marais des Cygnes River at Melvern, 

Kans. (station 06911000; figs. 6, 7). 

The releases from the Kansas reservoirs 

helped keep streamflow normal in areas 

of the State that received less than normal 

precipitation during WY 2017 (figs. 1, 4). 

Eleven of the USGS-monitored reservoirs 

ended the WY with less water than at the 

beginning of the WY, whereas only Hillsdale Lake near Hillsdale, Kans. (station 

06914995; fig. 7), ended the WY with 

slightly more water.

Streamflow at Selected 

Streamgages

Four gages were selected to characterize streamflow conditions in Kansas 

for WY 2017. Locations of the selected 

gages are illustrative of the spatial and 

temporal variability of conditions existing in different regions of the State. The 

locations of these gages, three other 

gages discussed in other sections, and 

USGS lake-level monitoring stations are 

provided in figure 7.

Stranger Creek near Tonganoxie, 

Kans. (station 06892000), represents 

eastern Kansas. Stranger Creek originates 

in northeast Kansas and flows south into 

the Kansas River near Linwood, Kans., 

and has a drainage area of 406 square 

miles (U.S. Geological Survey, 2017b). 

Seven-day average flow was above 

normal at the beginning of the WY 

(fig. 8). The 7-day average flow dropped 

briefly to below normal by March. Spring 

and summer precipitation kept the 7-day 

average streamflow ranging from normal 

to much above normal conditions during 

the second one-half of the WY. This 

gage closed out WY 2017 with normal 

Table 1. Change in water storage during water year 2017 in 12 Federal reservoirs with complete records monitored by the U.S. Geological 

Survey.

[USGS, U.S. Geological Survey; WY, water year. A water year is a 12-month period from October 1 through September 30 and is designated by the calendar year in 

which the period ends. Values in red are losses; values in green are gains]

USGS 

streamgage 

number (fig. 7)

Reservoir name

Storage at beginning 

of WY 2017,

in percent

Peak storage 

during WY 2017, 

in percent

Storage at end 

of WY 2017, 

in percent

Change in storage, 

in percent

06857050 Milford Lake near Junction City, Kansas 111.6 129.8 104.3 −6.5

06861500 Cedar Bluff Reservoir near Ellis, Kansas 32.6 33.4 30.9 −5.3

06865000 Kanopolis Lake near Kanopolis, Kansas 127.2 186.2 108.8 −14.5

06868100 Wilson Lake near Wilson, Kansas 122.1 114.6 102.1 −3.1

06886900 Tuttle Creek Lake near Manhattan, Kansas 105.3 208.2 115.7 −5.2

06890898 Perry Lake near Perry, Kansas 140.9 164.4 112.4 −20.2

06891478 Clinton Lake near Lawrence, Kansas 111.0 130.7 109.6 −1.3

06910997 Melvern Lake near Melvern, Kansas 113.2 127.8 99.5 −12.1

06912490 Pomona Lake near Quenemo, Kansas 117.9 159.1 116.2 −1.4

06914995 Hillsdale Lake near Hillsdale, Kansas 103.1 156.8 105.7 2.6

07140885 Horsethief Reservoir near Jetmore, Kansas 90.6 109.1 84.5 −6.7

07144790 Cheney Reservoir near Cheney, Kansas 103.1 124.2 95.2 −7.7
streamflow conditions. This station 

experienced above average precipitation (fig. 1) and normal to above normal 

runoff conditions (fig. 5), which kept the 

7-day average streamflow at or above 

normal conditions throughout WY 2017.

Saline River at Tescott, Kans. 

(station 06869500), represents central 

Kansas. The Saline River originates in 

northwestern Kansas and flows east into 

the Smoky Hill River, near Salina, Kans., 

and has a drainage area of 2,820 square 

miles (U.S. Geological Survey, 2017b). 

Seven-day average flow was much above 

normal at the beginning of the water year. 

January, April, May, and June also had 

several days with much above normal 

7-day average streamflow, whereas the 

remaining months of the WY recorded 

normal to above normal streamflow 

(fig. 8). Even though this station received 

below normal precipitation (fig. 1) and 

was affected by drought conditions at the 

end of the WY (fig. 2), the 7-day average 

streamflow conditions remained normal 

or above because of regulated outflows 

from Wilson Lake near Wilson, Kans. 

(station 06868100; fig. 7; table 1).

Two stations were chosen to represent western Kansas. The first is Crooked 

Creek near Englewood, Kans. (station 

07157500). Crooked Creek originates 

in southwestern Kansas and flows south 

into the Cimarron River in Oklahoma and 

has a drainage area of 1,157 square miles 

(U.S. Geological Survey, 2017b). Sevenday average streamflow was normal at the 

very beginning of the WY but quickly fell 

into below normal conditions. Seven-day 

average streamflow typically was either 

below normal or much below normal for 

the first one-half of the WY. The 7-day 

average streamflow rose to much above 

normal conditions in April with the 

heavy spring precipitation received that 

month. The 7-day average streamflow 

was normal for most of the second half of 

Top of conservation pool

Streamgage 06910997

Streamgage 06911000

100

10

1

1,034

1,035

1,046

1,037

1,038

1,039

1,040

1,041

1,042

1,000

1,033

Melvern Lake (06910997) daily elevation, in feet above 

North American Vertical Datum of 1988

Marais des Cygnes River (06911000) daily streamflow,

in cubic feet per second

Aug. 16,

2016

Oct. 7,

2016

Nov. 26,

2016

Jan. 15,

2017

Mar. 6,

2017

Apr. 25,

2017

June 14,

2017

Aug. 3,

2017

Sept. 22,

2017

Nov. 17,

2017

Date (water year 2017)

Figure 6. Conservation pool elevation of Melvern Lake near Melvern, 

Kansas, and daily streamflow of streamgage 06911000 during water 

year 2017 (U.S. Geological Survey, 2017b).

07137500

07138000

07139000

07157500

06869500

06892000

06911000

Stranger CreekStranger Creek

U.S. Geological Survey 

continuous-record

streamgage

Reservoir

Elevation, in feet above 

North American 

Vertical Datum 

of 1988

EXPLANATION

Base from U.S. Geological Survey National Elevation Dataset, 30-meter digital elevation model

Albers Equal-Area Conic projection, standard parallels 29°30’N and 45°30’N, central meridian −96°W 

North American Datum of 1983

North American Vertical Datum of 1988

95°

98° 97° 96° 99° 100° 101° 102° 40°

39°

38°

37°

4,039

679

Cheney

Reservoir

U.S. Geological Survey

continuous-record

lake-level monitoring site with 

reservoir name

Melvern Lake

Ponoma Lake

Hillsdale Lake

Melvern Lake

06892000

Perry Lake

Clinton Lake

Kanopolis Lake

Wilson Lake

Cedar Bluff

Reservoir

Horsethief

Reservoir

Tuttle Creek Lake

Milford Lake

0

0

25 50 75 100 MILES

25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

Satine River

Smoky Hill River Smoky Hill River

Arkansas River Arkansas River

Cimarron RiverCimarron River

Solomon RiverSolomon River

Republican Ri verRepublican Ri ver

Kansas RiverKansas River

Marais des Cygnes River Marais des Cygnes River

Walnut RiverWalnut River

Verdigirs RiverVerdigirs River

NeoshoRiverNeoshoRiver

Garden City

Salina Linwood

Crooked CrCrooked Cr

Figure 7. Locations of U.S. Geological Survey monitored reservoirs and selected streamgages.
WY 2017 (fig. 8). Because of the drought 

conditions (fig. 2) present at the beginning of WY 2017 the streamflow at this 

station was below normal or much below 

normal for the first one-half of the WY. 

After having above normal precipitation 

(fig. 1) during the months of March and 

April, the streamflow ranged from normal 

to much above normal for the remainder 

of the WY.

The second station chosen to 

represent western Kansas is the Arkansas River at Syracuse, Kans. (station 

07138000). The Arkansas River originates in Colorado and flows through 

Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas into 

the Mississippi River and has a drainage area of 25,763 square miles at the 

Syracuse gage (U.S. Geological Survey, 

2017b). Flows downstream are regularly 

diverted for irrigation in western Kansas 

and for flood control near Wichita, Kans. 

Like during WY 2016 the 7-day average 

stream flow was normal for most of the 

WY. Above normal conditions were 

present a few times in the spring and 

summer months (fig. 8). This station 

received well above normal precipitation (fig. 1) and was minimally affected 

by drought conditions (fig. 2), helping 

the streamflow conditions stay normal 

throughout WY 2017.

Resurgence of the Arkansas River

The Arkansas River flows into 

Kansas from Colorado and water is regularly diverted for irrigation in western 

Kansas. The water is always flowing 

in the Arkansas River at the gage near 

Coolidge, Kans. (station 07137500), but 

in most years the water in the channel of 

the Arkansas River disappears by Garden 

City, Kans.; therefore, the cumulative 

flow at the gage in Garden City, Kans. 

(station 07139000), can be used to show 

the downstream extent of flow in the 

Arkansas River (fig. 7). The cumulative 

flow for the Arkansas River at Garden 

City, Kans., gage for WYs 2013–17 is 

shown in figure 9. As figure 9 shows, 

WY 2017 recorded a cumulative flow of 

about 2,300 ft3/s, which is significantly 

more flow than the previous 4 WYs 

(U.S. Geological Survey, 2017a). The 

annual mean flow for the same gage for 

WYs 1923–2017 (data not available for 

WYs 1971–86) is shown in figure 10. 

Even though the flow recorded at the 

Arkansas River at Garden City, Kans., 

gage was the highest seen in the last 

EXPLANATION

Lowest—

10th percentile

90th percentile

—highest

Above

normal Normal

Flow

5 10–24 25–75 76–90

Below

normal

95

Much below normal Much above normal

1,000

100

10

1

0.1

10,000

1,000

100

10

1

Streamgage 07157500, Crooked Creek near 

Englewood, Kansas (Drainage area: 1,157 square 

miles, length of record: 73–75 years

Streamgage 07138000, Arkansas River at Syracuse,

Kansas (Drainage area: 25,763 square miles, 

length of record: 98–100 years

5,000

1,000

100

10

1

0.1

20,000

Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr MayJune July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr MayJune July Aug Sept

Streamgage 06892000, Stranger Creek near 

Tonganoxie, Kansas (Drainage area: 406 square 

miles, length of record: 87–88 years

Streamgage 06869500, Saline River at Tescott,

Kansas (Drainage area: 2,820 square miles, 

length of record: 96–98 years

Seven-day average discharge, in cubic feet per second

9,000 20,000

Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr MayJune July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr MayJune July Aug Sept

2017

Percentile classes

Figure 8. Seven-day average streamflows for water year 2017 for U.S. Geological 

Survey streamgages 06892000, 06869500, 07157500, and 07138000 in Kansas 

(U.S. Geological Survey, 2017a).

1,000

10,000

10

1

0.1

Cumulative flow, in cubic feet per second

100

Oct. 1 Nov. 1 Dec. 2 Jan. 2 Feb. 2 Mar. 4 Apr. 4 May 5 June 5 July 5 Aug. 6 Sept. 6

Date

Water year

EXPLANATION

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

Figure 9. Streamgage 07139000 cumulative streamflow hydrograph for water years 

2013–17, Kansas (U.S. Geological Survey, 2017a).
5 WYs, it is still low when compared to 

the overall period of record (U.S. Geological Survey, 2017a). The channel at the 

Garden City gage during a dry period 

in WY 2013 and a period of flooding 

in WY 2017 is shown in figure 11. The 

major factors responsible for streamflow alteration along this reach are local 

changes to land use and water use as well 

as groundwater withdrawals (Juracek and 

others, 2017).

Summary

Streamflow conditions in Kansas 

for water year (WY) 2017 were mostly 

normal. Runoff conditions were mostly 

normal until the last quarter of WY 2017. 

The central part of the State received 

slightly below normal precipitation for 

the WY, whereas the western and eastern 

parts received above normal precipitation. The drought conditions worsened 

from the beginning to the end of the WY. 

The central and northern areas of the 

State that ended the WY with below or 

much below normal streamflow conditions corresponded to the areas effected 

by drought because of below normal 

precipitation. However, parts of central 

and southern Kansas that were affected 

by the drought conditions finished the 

WY with normal streamflow conditions 

because of releases from reservoirs. 

Eleven of the 12 reservoirs monitored by 

the U.S. Geological survey finished the 

WY with less water than at the beginning 

of the WY. The Arkansas River in southwest Kansas had a greater duration and 

downstream extent of streamflow during 

WY 2017 than in recent WYs, as shown 

by the data recorded at the streamgage in 

Garden City, Kansas.

References Cited

Juracek, K.E., Eng, K., Carlisle, D.M., 

and Wolock, D.M., 2017, Streamflow alteration and habitat ramifications for a threatened fish species 

in the central United States: River 

Research and Applications, v. 33, 

no. 7, p. 993–1003. [Also available at 

https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.31481002.]

Langbein, W.B., and Iseri, K.T., 1960, 

General introduction and hydrologic 

definitions: U.S. Geological Survey 

Water-Supply Paper 1541–A, 29 p.

National Drought Mitigation Center, 

2017, U.S. Drought Monitor—

Kansas: National Drought Mitigation 

Center, U.S. Drought Monitor web 

page, accessed November 7, 2017, 

at http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration, 2017, Advanced 

hydrologic prediction service—2017 

precipitation maps for Kansas: 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration, National Weather 

Service, accessed November 7, 2017, 

at http://water.weather.gov/precip/.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration, 2018, Climate 

normals: National Centers for 

Environmental Information web 

page, accessed June 29, 2018, at 

https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/dataaccess/land-based-station-data/landbased-datasets/climate-normals.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2017a, WaterWatch—Current water resources 

in Kansas: U.S. Geological Survey 

website, accessed November 7, 2016, 

at https://waterwatch.usgs.gov/.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2017b, 

USGS water data for the Nation: 

U.S. Geological Survey National 

Water Information System database, accessed November 7, 2017, at 

https://doi.org/10.5066/F7P55KJN.

1930

Mean annual flow, in cubic feet per second

1,000

10,000

100

10

1

0.1

0.01

Year

1920 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

Figure 10. Streamgage 07139000 annual mean flow for water years 1923–70 

and 1987–2017, Kansas (U.S. Geological Survey, 2017a).

Figure 11. Left, Arkansas River at Garden City, Kansas, in April 2013 (photograph by 

Andrew Clark, U.S. Geological Survey), and right, in August 2017 (photograph by Lori Marintzer, 

U.S. Geological Survey).

By Bradley S. Lukasz

For additional information concerning this publication, contact:

Director, USGS Kansas Water 

Science Center 

1217 Biltmore Dr.

Lawrence, KS 66049

(785) 842–9909

Or visit the Kansas Water 

Science Center website at: 

https://ks.water.usgs.gov

ISSN 2327-6916 (print)

ISSN 2327-6932 (online)

https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20183060