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Upper Arkansas River Basin

The Upper Arkansas Basin covers 10,300 square miles of west-central Kansas including all or parts of 20 counties. The Arkansas River is the dominant river. There are no major tributaries to the Arkansas River until Mulberry Creek in Ford County; west of this, flows are highly dependent on flows entering from Colorado.  The Pawnee River, Walnut Creek and Coon Creek are major tributaries of the Arkansas River in this basin.  Remaining areas of the basin are drained by numerous small direct tributaries of the Arkansas River.

The principle sources of groundwater in the basin are the saturated sands, gravels and silts in the thick deposits of Tertiary and Quaternary age.  This includes the alluvial deposits along the river and tributaries and the Ogallala Formation of the High Plains aquifer.  Groundwater is the source of 96% of supply for all reported uses in 2006.  Irrigation accounted for nearly 95% of all reported water pumped or diverted.

Map UARK BAC Membership 

No. Member Name Representative
Category		 Term
Expires
1. Chair - Clark Rusco, Great Bend, KS Fish and Wildlife (CC) 6/30/2013
2. Vice Chair - Steven Cottrell, Garden City, KS Municipal Public Water Supply (CC) 6/30/2015
3. Jamie Cheatum, Syracuse, KS Agricultural Industry (BSC) 6/30/2015
4. Randy Hayzlett, Lakin, KS Surface Water Irrigation (BSC) 6/30/2013
5. Steven Hines, Coolidge, KS Agriculture (CC) 6/30/2013
6. Beverly Komarek, Great Bend, KS Domestic (BSC) 6/30/2013
7. Michael MacNair, Jetmore, KS Conservation/Environment (CC) 6/30/2015
8. Roger Mohr, Albert, KS Ground Water Irrigation (BSC) 6/30/2015
9. Paul Tschopp, Ellinwood, KS Industry/Commerce (CC) 6/30/2013
10. Hugh Brownlee, Syracuse, KS At Large Public (CC) 6/30/2013
11. Josh Hobbs, Jetmore, KS Recreation (CC) 6/30/2015

u Upper Arkansas Basin Advisory Committee Membership Application pdf image

Information Sheet - Attending a KWA Meeting as a Representative of your BAC

Upper Arkansas BAC Member Update - Clark Rusco - Chairperson

"As a long time participant of the water planning process I've gotten to experience the evolution of the process.  Our BAC has been blessed for many years with individuals that have had knowledge of the specific areas in the planning process and they have been willing to attend the meetings to convey their thoughts and ideas."

Clark Rusco is a native Kansan who grew up on a farm near the Arkansas River and Cheyenne Bottoms. He is a graduate of KSU with a B.S. in Civil Engineering, and is a Licensed Professional Engineer, Registered Land Surveyor and  Certified Flood Plain Manager.  He is currently the Barton County Engineer. Mr. Rusco enjoys the opportunities to boat, fish, camp, hunt, hike and bike along the Arkansas River and at Cheyenne Bottoms.

Mr. Rusco is the current Chairperson of the Upper Arkansas BAC representing the Fish and Wildlife category.  He has served on the BAC since 1987.

Current Projects in the Upper Arkansas Basin

  • Management of the Ogallala-High Plains Aquifer Hydrologic Model - The Upper Arkansas basin is underlain by the Ogallala formation of the High Plains aquifer, which serves as the principle source of water in the basin.  Groundwater depletion due to the pumping of the Ogallala-High Plains and the overlying alluvial aquifers is occurring to varying degrees across the basin. Refined management of the aquifer is being developed by identification of areas (subunits), subunit goals and management tools. A groundwater model has been developed for the area included in Southwest Kansas Groundwater Management District #3 (GMD 3 Hydrologic Computer Model)  and other aquifer information developed to aid in this process. Goals are to manage the system for long-term sustainability and to conserve and extend the life of the Ogallala-High Plains aquifer. Reducing water use is also part of this management, through the  Upper Arkansas Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program.
  • Index Wells - The existing annual water level monitoring program does not and cannot deliver the required accuracy and precision for effective management of aquifer subunits.  The problems have been reviewed extensively in KGS OFR 2002-25. To improve measuring of the aquifer’s hydrologic responses at the local level a pilot program was initiated in 2007.
  • Practical Saturated Thickness (PST) - PST considers only the net thickness of saturated sediments that significantly contribute to well yield from the water table down to the bedrock surface and differs from the saturated thickness (ST), which is the total thickness of saturated sediments between the water table and the bedrock surface.  Please see the report of the initial evaluation of PST in GMD3 for more information. Additional work is underway to refine the use of PST with additional information to define ant amount of water as well as its distribution (PST+). The most recent report on this work can be found in “High Plains Aquifer Calibration Monitoring Well Program: Third Year Progress Report”.
  • Tamarisk Research - The impacts on water resources from non native plants such as salt cedar (tamarisk) and Russian olive have been studied to determine if control of these invasive species can conserve streamflow and alluvial water. More information on Tamarisk activities in Kansas can be found in the Tamarisk 10-Year Plan.
  • Upper Arkansas Water Quality Study - A study is underway by water specialists at the Kansas Geological Survey to determine when and where the uranium and other elements may exceed water-quality standards as river flows change due to precipitation and human activities in the upper Arkansas River basin. More in information is available in the Upper Arkansas Water Quality Study.
  • Upper Arkansas Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program

Past Meetings & Materials

Questions? Contact Diane.Coe@kwo.ks.gov - KWO Upper Arkansas Basin Planner - Diane Coe's responsibilities include basin planning for the Upper Arkansas, Smoky Hill-Saline, and Cimarron basins.  Ms. Coe's primary areas of expertise and experience include groundwater, hydrogeology, and water quality. Ms. Coe is a licensed geologist with the Kansas Board of Technical Professionals and a Registered Environmental Health Specialist/Registered Sanitarian with the National Environmental Health Association.