The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-08-17
ARTISAN WELL AREA.
In Kansas Tt Is Limited to the
Southern Part.
A Good Well Will Flow so Gal
Ions Per Minute.
With This Amount of Water About
so Acres Can Be Irrigated
Causes Which Create
the Reservoir.
(From the Kansas City star.)

many hundreds of years, though system
attic search for artesian water and it's in
| telligent after being obtained are mat
tiers pertaining to the present century.
| Owing to the great cost of wells and the
doubt which exists as to the amount and
permanency of the flow, this source of
water supply is limited in it's application
| to irrigation and, as a rule, does not pay
unless the value of the land irrigated is
| great, the market facilities for the prod
ucts excellent and the market itself more
| profitable than under. ordinary circum-
stances. Notwithstanding these draw
| backs, irrigation from artesian water is
| practicable and profitable in many places
and real artesian water supply may be
| reckoned a most valuable resource of
| the state possessing it.
Kansas possesses an artesian water sup
ply among her other valuable natural re-
| sources, and a knowledge of its possibili-
| ties and its limits has been obtained
| through the efforts of the biologists of
the national government, the observations
of the scientists of the state and the act
ual borings which have been made. An
artesian well is not necessarily one which
flows to the surface, but as that is the
popular idea, it is best to treat of the
subject from that point of view. There
are many flowing wells in Kansas, most
of them in the eastern part of the state.
Jew O1 THESE WELLS however are Ut LOT
domestic or farming purposes, all of
| them, except those which come from the
great Dakota sandstone beds in the west
ern and southern parts of the state
so highly charged with chemicals to
be dangerous to animal and plant life.
The area of the Dakota sandstone beds
which lies within reach of the surface for
practical purposes q well digging has
been very nearly defined. An artesian
c of hatU
shales of other formations not easily per-
meated by water. This porous rock must
come to the surface at some point to re-
ceive its water supply and the point where
it is tapped must be lower than the feed
point to obtain any upward pressure
Theoretically considered, such a reser-
voir is perfect. In practice, however,
these beds of sandstone are often exposed
at points lower than the point of water
supply and pressure could be obtained
in a well there except for the fact that
the strata are of uneven texture, water
flowing more freely in some places than
others, or backing up, so to speak, thus
affording an upward pressure not due to
the superior elevation of the feed point.
The permanent water. supply of the Da-
kota sandstone beds of Kansas. of any
other locality, cannot be more than is sup
piled to it. The supply comes from the
west where the edges of this layer of stone
come to the surface, tapping up against the
foothills of the Rocky mountains. This
great layer of stone extends from the Da-
kotas to Texas. Its outcrop to the west
is about 800 feet wide and extends north
and south throughout the area mentioned.
1t dips rapidly to the east and the reason
that this water supply is limited to south
ern Kansas is the fact that in northern
and eastern Kansas it is too far below
the surface to be useful for. wells Mr..
Powell of the United States geological
survey estimates the rainfall over this ex-
posed edge of sandstone to be fifteen in
ches a year. Allowing for escape at the
eastern edge and for surface waste, he
estimates the amount of water which can
be raised by wells as sufficient only to ir-
rigate a belt one-fifth of mile wide, ex-
tending from the northern to the south
ern boundary of the United States,
about 175, 900 acres. He calls attention to
the fact, however, that this supply is
inforced by the collection of past ages.
Prof. Haworth also ventures the opinion
that Prof Powell has neglected to figure
in this supply the amount contributed in
places over portions of the sandstone
over formations which would allow the
water to percolate to the sandstone be-
low. These statements would incline the
irrigationist to doubt the value of the
Kansas artesian water supply, but Prof.
I1dWOTln treasures the 1dIlO OWHSIS VI
southwestern Kansas that they may con-
tinue to dig wells without limit for many
years to come without fear ofexhausting
this sandstone reservoir. He says:
1.-The localities in our state where it can
be obtained at depths within the reach of
the ordinary farmer form small a por-
ton of the whole area that wells may be
relatively close together here and suffi-
cient in number to draw largely from the
localities under which the sandstone lies
at great depths it will rarely be
reached. There is every reason, therefore,
to encourage the drilling of wells. wher-
ever the cost is not too great, for the pur-
pose of obtaining Dakota water, either in
the form of artesian flow or from wells
by pumping. Upon the estimate of Major
Powell, just given, which is certainly none
too large, Kansas can irrigate many thou
sand acres from the Dakota sandstone
should she use only her allotted portion.
But should she draw on adjacent terri
tory by increasing the number of wells
along the valleys where the sandstone can
be reached at lesser depths the amount
of available water may be perceptibly in
creased. No one should hesitate search
ing for Dakota water on account of a
fear that it would be Insignificant in
amount, at least not until many more
wells have been drilled
The artesian wells which have been sunk
into the Dakota sandstone are from 200 to
100 feet in depth Four of these have
stopped flowing but it is believed that this
is due to a corrosion of the iron casing
and consequent escape of the water be-
fore reaching the surface and not to the
deficiency in the supply. In the artesian
district shown in the map the well-borer
would seldom be forced to go below 500
feet to reach the Dakota sandstone ex-
eept in Lane. Scott, Wichita and Greeley
counties where it may lie somewhat deep
er.
A good strong artesian well in south