Water

Water levels in the Little Caney River are so low that the river isn’t flowing over the dam, leaving the stream dry.

Southeast Kansas Town is Almost Out of Water, and Signs of Crisis are Everywhere

The stubborn drought has brought Caney, a southeast Kansas town of less than 2,000 people, within weeks of reaching the end of its water supply.

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A water tower in Guymon, Oklahoma, which relies on the Ogallala Aquifer for drinking water.

As Ogallala Aquifer Declines in the Great Plains, States Weigh Metering Irrigation Wells

Water levels are dropping in the Ogallala Aquifer, and states in the Great Plains are considering whether to monitor groundwater irrigators are pumping out.

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The Hays water conservation program's mascot, WaterSmart Wally, gives out high fives at a recent street fair. Wally is just one sign of how far the town's water-saving culture has come since the 1990s.

This City in Kansas Really Conserves Water, But That Might Not be Enough to Survive

Thanks to decades of conservation efforts, Hays has become a place where thinking about your water use is a way of life. But as climate change brings drier, hotter weather to Kansas, more cities may have to follow a similar path.

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Center pivot irrigation systems like this one in Finney County pump water up from the Ogallala aquifer to spray on crops. This part of southwest Kansas experienced some of the state's worst aquifer declines last year as drought pushed farmers to pump more water from underground.

How Kansas Could Lose Billions in Land Values as its Underground Water Runs Dry

The water in the Ogallala aquifer is worth billions of dollars to western Kansas, but it’s rapidly disappearing. And it’s been a challenge to find ways to slow the depletion.

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Former Haviland mayor Robert Ellis stands between pipes inside the small town's multimillion-dollar water treatment plant.

As Fertilizer Pollutes Tap Water in Small Towns, Rural Kansans Pay the Price

For towns with only a few hundred residents, keeping tap water clean and safe can pose a crippling expense. The predicament is likely to become more common in western Kansas as farm chemicals seep into dwindling water supplies.

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Santa Fe Trail crossing at Cimarron. The Ogallala aquifer groundwater levels in much of western Kansas started dropping in the 1950s as pumping increased, according to the Kansas Geological Survey.

‘We can’t wait 15 years’: Legislative Committee Works to Overhaul Kansas Water Policy

If Kansas is going to preserve its water resources, it has to act soon, say proponents of an overhaul to the state’s water regulation.

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Deteriorated water lines.

More Than $220 Million Going Toward Water Infrastructure in Kansas and Missouri in 2022

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has allocated more than $220 million for 2022 to Kansas and Missouri to upgrade water infrastructure and address environmental injustice.

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Hays City Manager Toby Dougherty at the R9 Ranch in Edwards County, Kansas.

How The Search For Water Is Pitting Farmers Against Cities In Western Kansas

The search for water is pitting farmers against cities in western Kansas.

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KC water treatment plant

What’s In Our Tap Water?

By Lauren Langdon As the “Big Muddy” winds its way through Kansas City, it might be hard to believe that approximately 660,000 residents rely on the Missouri River for their drinking water — after it has been treated, of course. But, did you know that the treatment process itself can introduce potentially hazardous contaminants to…

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a well in pretty prairie

Residents In Kansas Town Say Water Rules Must Give — Or Feds Need To Pitch In

Pretty Prairie, Kansas, population 680, had a moment in the spotlight during the confirmation hearings for new Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt. Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran mentioned Pretty Prairie as an example of a community that’s struggling because of EPA regulations that Pruitt could ease. But residents of the tiny south central Kansas town…

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