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Call 911 to report Hazards, Toxic Spills or
Threats to Basin
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FACTS
Size: The
Missouri River Basin covers some 1,600 square
miles in the northeast corner of Kansas (see
Figure 1).
Population:
There were an estimated 143,000 residents in the
basin in 2000 and the population is projected to
grow only 3 percent by the year 2040.
Flow:
This is but a fraction of the entire Missouri
River drainage, which includes all, or part of
ten states and extends into Canada. Tributary
streams within the basin include the South Fork
Nemaha River, Wolf River and numerous smaller
tributaries, which flow directly into the
Missouri.
Information on water levels in the river basin
click on the following website:
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ks/nwis/rt
Reservoirs:
While there are no large federal reservoirs in
the basin, the flow of the Missouri River is
regulated by six large reservoirs operated by
the Corps of Engineers in Montana, North Dakota,
South Dakota and Nebraska. The Corps has also
conducted extensive bank stabilization works and
maintains a navigation channel within the
Missouri River.
Topography and Soil:
Unlike most other Kansas River basins, the
Missouri Basin was glaciated. Glacial deposits
and wind deposited loess are found in some parts
of the basin. In some localities the glacial
deposits serve as aquifers. Of particular
interest are the bluffs bordering the Missouri
River, which exceed 200 feet in height in
places. The climate of the Missouri Basin is
humid, with average annual total precipitation
ranging between 31-36 inches.
Economy:
The economy of the basin is very dependent on
agriculture. Crops grown include wheat, corn,
grain sorghum, soybeans, forage sorghum, alfalfa
and sunflower. Irrigation is widespread and
extremely important to the area economics.
Livestock production is an important part of the
area’s agriculture. Beef cattle are the
predominant livestock raised in the basin.
Oil has been produced in the basin in commercial
quantities since 1951, and oil fields of
economic importance are present in Decatur,
Norton, Phillips, Rawlins and Sherman counties.
Except for oil, industry and manufacturing are
generally of minor importance to the economy of
this area.
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Usage of Water
Most water
withdrawals for municipal and industrial supply
come from surface sources, primarily the
Missouri River. Municipal and industrial supply
is the predominant use of water.
For more information on water use in the
Missouri basin follow the USGS link on water use
in
Kansas 2004
http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2004/3133/#N10048
http://ks.water.usgs.gov/Kansas/studies/wateruse/
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CONSUMERS
Agriculture
Irrigation accounted for a small percentage of
all reported water usage (1997).
Industry and Municipal
Industry and Municipal accounted for
most of water used in the basin.
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Water Management
Conservation Districts
are part of a nationwide grass roots
organization made up of people that collectively
promote the wise management of our natural
resources for sustained use. There are 105
Conservation Districts across Kansas, one for
each county in Kansas. Each district is lead by
a board of five supervisors that are locally
elected. These supervisors are not paid for
their service on the board.
Each conservation district has developed
programs aimed to address priority concerns for
their county. If you own land in Kansas, it is
best to contact the district in the county you
own the land. This will insure you the best in
assistance and knowledge of local conditions.
http://www.cjnetworks.com/~sccdistrict/dist_ks.htm
Groundwater
Ground water is used predominantly for irrigation and livestock usage
in the basin.
http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2004/3133/#N1003A
A multipurpose small lake (Pony Creek) has been
developed in the Missouri Basin. This lake
serves as a water source for the City of
Sabetha, which is located just over the divide
in the Kansas-Lower Republican Basin. Six
watershed districts have been organized in the
Missouri Basin, primarily for flood control.
The Army Corps of Engineers, responsible for the
operation of levees and other flood control
features and is an important water manager in
the basin. To
contact the Army Corps of Engineers see the
following:
http://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/regulatory/boundary.ht
Flood Control
The Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program has
provided an accumulated $2,335,639,000 in flood
control benefits from 1950 to 1999.
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Threats and Hazards
Quality
Ground Water (subsurface)
Ground water of the Flint Hills region
generally has high total dissolved solids and
high total hardness concentrations.
Surface Water Quality:
KWO and KDHE TDMLS Report: Not particularly good
Counties in Kansas that surround Missouri River:
http://www.kdheks.gov/tmdl/mo/mocountymaps.pdf#search=%22KWO%20Missouri%20River%20Basin%20%22
Solutions to Surface water pollution:
·
KSU: Use of riparian boundaries to enhance
water quality:
http://www.k-state.edu/waterlink/Graphics/Reports/MF2489.pdf
·
KSU: riparian buffer maintence:
http://www.k-state.edu/waterlink/Graphics/Reports/Riparian%20Buffer%20Maintenance.pdf
·
KSU bioretention:
http://www.k-state.edu/waterlink/Graphics/Reports/Bioretention.pdf
·
USGS water quality information about all Kansas
reservoirs
http://ks.water.usgs.gov/Kansas/waterdata/climate/reservoir.html
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WATER QUALITY
Each Public Water System
should provide a Consumer Confidence Report of
water quality to the KDHE and the EPA:
Information
about Kansas public water supplies can be found
at:
To find out
what is in your local drinking water follow the
websites below:
Drill down’ from the top using EPA websites that
follow:
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WATER QUANTITY
Groundwater:
Surface Water
Streams:
Flood and Drought Information:
For real time water levels on the Upper
Republican River click on the following
website:
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ks/nwis/rt
USGS
monthly water flow: real time
http://ks.water.usgs.gov/Kansas/history/kswater.hist.html
NOAA advance prediction service for MDC river
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=top&gage=qnmk1&view=1,1,1,1,1,1
Drought Assessment:
Kansas Water Office reports on drought
http://www.kwo.org/reports%20&%20publications/drought/kwo%20drought%20report.htm
KGS--weekly interactive maps showing vegetation
conditions across the State of Kansas. The maps
are derived from NOAA satellite data that
measures how green vegetation is. Vegetation
stress is a proxy measure of drought.
http://koufax.kgs.ku.edu/kars/kars_map.cfm
Army Corps of Engineers drought management plan
1994:
http://www.drought.unl.edu/plan/handbook/nds8.pdf
Flood Information:
NOAA Contact the National Weather Service:
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/
Reservoir Quantity Information: USGS
real time water data for reservoirs
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ks/nwis/current?type=lake&type=none&search_site_no_station_nm
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Pick Sloan
The
Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program, formerly
called the Missouri River Basin Project, was initially authorized by the Flood Control Act of December 22,
1944, which approved the general comprehensive
plan for the conservation, control, and use of
water resources in the entire Missouri River
Basin. The justifiable and beneficial uses of
these water resources include flood control,
aids to navigation, irrigation of over 3 million
acres of new land, a supplemental water supply
to nearly 700,000 acres of land, power
generation from plants with a total installed
capacity of about 2.5 million kilowatts,
municipal and industrial water supplies,
stream-pollution abatement, sediment control,
preservation and enhancement of fish and
wildlife, and creation of recreation
opportunities.
The Missouri Basin Interagency Committee was
established by the Federal Interagency River
Basin Committee in April 1945 to coordinate the
activities of the participating Federal agencies
and the 10 Missouri Basin States in developing
the water resources of the basin. A revised
charter was adopted in 1954 to provide improved
facilities and procedures for coordination of
the policies, programs, and activities of the
various Federal departments and the States in
water and related land resources investigation,
planning, construction, operation, and
maintenance. In March 1972, the Interagency
Committee was replaced by establishment of the
Missouri River Basin Commission. The commission
membership consisted of a chairman appointed by
the President; the Governors of the 10 States
which make up the Missouri Basin States;
representatives from 10 Federal agencies -
Departments of the Interior, Army, Agriculture,
Commerce, Health, Education and Welfare, Housing
and Urban Development, and Transportation, and
the Energy Research and Development
Administration, Environmental Protection Agency,
and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; the
interstate commission for the Big Blue River and
Yellowstone River Compacts; and the Canadian
Government as an observer. This commission was
replaced by the Missouri Basin States
Association in 1981.
The Bureau of Reclamation program in Colorado,
Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana,
Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and
Wyoming is composed of about 150 units, each of
which has been or is being constructed or
investigated. Activities under the program
include units completed and in operation, units
under construction, and units, areas, or
subbasins being investigated to meet the
continuing water and land-related needs of the
Missouri River Basin. The Corps of Engineer's
program includes major main-stem reservoirs and
flood control projects. The Bureau of
Reclamation cooperates with the Corps of
Engineers and other agencies in the joint
coordinated plan of conservation, control, and
use of the basin's water resources. Cooperating
agencies within the Department of the Interior,
in addition to the Bureau of Reclamation,
include the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of
Mines, Fish and Wildlife Service, Geological
Survey, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian
Affairs, and the Office of Water Research.
The power systems of the Colorado-Big Thompson,
Kendrick, Shoshone, and North Platte Projects
have been integrated with the Pick-Sloan
Missouri Basin Program for the purpose of
marketing the power produced from these
projects. In return for all the power generated
surplus to project needs on the integrated
projects, the program returns, to each project,
revenues sufficient to cover the annual
production operating expenses and a reserve for
replacement of facilities and to allow net
operating revenue great enough to repay the
power and irrigation construction costs
obligated for repayment from power revenues.
The Bureau of Reclamation's plan for development
of the water resources of the Missouri River
Basin was presented to the Congress May 5, 1944,
(Senate Document No. 191, 78th Congress, 2d
session). A plan sponsored by the Corps of
Engineers (House Document No. 475, 78th
Congress, 2d session) was submitted to the
Congress March 2, 1944. Senate Document No. 247,
coordinating the plans of the Bureau of
Reclamation and the Corps of Engineers, was
submitted to the Senate November 21, 1944. On
December 22, 1944, the President signed the
Flood Control Act of 1944, Public Law 534, 78th
Congress, 2d session, which approved the
coordinated plan and authorized appropriations
to each of the two agencies for construction of
the initial stages.
The Flood Control Act of 1946, approved July
24, 1946, authorized additional appropriations
to the Department of the Interior for the
further development of the comprehensive plan
adopted by the Flood Control Act of 1944. This
act extended the authorization to all units of
the plan in addition to the initial stage
authorized in the 1944 act. Further
appropriations have provided for the continued
development of the program.
The act of August 14, 1964, Public Law 88-442,
requires that any unit of the Pick-Sloan
Missouri Basin Program which was not under
construction or in operation during August 1964
must be subsequently authorized before
construction can be started. Most Bureau of
Reclamation projects in the Missouri Basin which
were built before 1944 are separate and
independent from the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin
Program, although the Congress has integrated a
few of them into the program.
Many of the key features of the program have
been completed and are in operation. Others are
under construction. A large number of the
remaining features will require considerable
investigation before they can be proposed for
authorization. It is necessary to continue
investigations of the general plan of
development, as well as advance planning on
units authorized for construction. This ensures
an orderly development of water and related
resources for the maximum benefit of the basin's
residents and the Nation.
http://www.usbr.gov/dataweb/html/psmbp.html
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