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Kansas City Area Ground Water

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Chemical Character of Ground Water

The general chemical character of the ground waters in the alluvium of the Kansas and Missouri River Valleys in and adjacent to Kansas City, Kansas, is shown in Table 5 by the analyses of water from 23 wells and 50 test holes distributed as. uniformly as practicable within the area. Included in the table are analyses of one sample from a public water supply (Bonner Springs) and one sample of water collected from the Missouri River during the pumping test on well 16 by the Corps of Engineers. The samples of water were analyzed by Howard A. Stoltenberg, chemist, in the Water and Sewage Laboratory of the Kansas State. Board of Health.

The analyses of water given in Table 5 indicate only the amounts of dissolved mineral matter in the water and do not indicate the sanitary quality of the water. It is assumed that in Kansas City ground water will be used only for industrial purposes and the following discussion is based on that assumption. The packing companies are prohibited from using the water for any purpose for which it might come in contact with the meat.

An analysis of a typical water from four of the districts (Fairfax, Central, Argentine, and valley area west of Kansas City) is shown in Figure 8.

Figure 8--Analyses of typical ground waters from four industrial districts considered in this report.

Analyses of typical ground waters from four industrial districts considered in this report.

Table 5--Analyses of water from wells and test holes in, the alluvium of the Kansas and Missouri River Valleys in the Kansas City, Kansas, area Analyzed by H. A. Stoltenberg. Dissolved constituents given in parts per milliona, and (in italics) in equivalents per millionb.

No.
on
Plate 1
Owner Location Depth
(feet)
Date of
collection
Temp.
(°F)
Iron
(Fe)
Calcium
(Ca)
Magnesium
(Mg)
Sodium
and
potassium
(Na+K)
(c)
Bicar-
bonate
(HCO3)
Sulfate
(SO4)
Chloride
(Cl)
Fluoride
(F)
Nitrate
(NO3)
pH Carbon
dioxide
(CO2)
Total
dissolved
solids
(c)
Hardness
(calculated as CaCO3)
Total Carbonate Non-
carbonate
T. 10 S., R. 25 E.
8 Test hole SE cor. NE NE sec. 28 104 Aug. 15, 1944 56 7.5 95
4.74
22
1.81
40
1.76
349
5.72
100
2.08
16
.45
0.3
.02
2.2
.04
    458 328 286 42
9 Test hole NE SE NE sec. 28 124 Aug. 14, 1944 57 6.4 96
4.79
22
1.81
34
1.48
365
5.99
82
1.70
12
.34
0.2
.01
2.2
.04
    437 330 300 30
10 Test hole SW cor. NW sec. 27 115 Aug. 11, 1944 60 9.7 134
6.69
32
2.63
37
2.63
458
7.51
137
2.85
19
.54
0.2
.01
2.5
.04
    600 466 376 90
11 Test hole SW cor. NW SW sec. 27 102 Aug. 10, 1944 58 18.0 141
7.04
36
2.96
19
.81
495
8.12
97
2.02
22
.62
0.1
.01
2.3
.04
    583 500 406 94
12 Test hole NW cor. SW SW SW sec.27 105 Aug. 3, 1944 62 6.8 140
6.99
35
2.88
41
1.78
478
7.84
142
2.95
29
.82
0.2
.01
2.1
.03
    635 494 392 102
13 Test hole NW NW NW sec. 34 87 Aug. 9, 1944 58 18.0 183
9.13
40
3.29
36
1.55
575
9.43
130
2.70
64
1.80
0.1
.01
2.1
.03
    761 621 472 149
14 Test hole NW NW NW sec. 34 82 July 29, 1944 58 24.0 207
10.33
42
3.45
28
1.22
527
8.64
211
4.39
68
1.92
0.2
.01
2.8
.04
    846 689 432 257
16 Test hole NW NW sec. 27 95.5 Jan. 24, 1944 53 9.2 96
4.79
24
1.97
35
1.51
309
5.07
127
2.64
18
.51
0.3
.02
2.1
.03
    466 338 254 84
16 Test hole NW NW sec. 27 95.5 Feb. 2, 1944 53 12.0 118
5.89
28
2.30
35
1.51
342
5.61
168
3.49
20
.56
0.3
.02
2.5
.04
    555 410 280 130
16 Test hole NW NW sec. 27 95.5 Feb. 18, 1944 53 8.3 94
4.69
23
1.89
34
1.49
318
5.22
115
2.39
15
.42
0.3
.02
1.3
.02
    450 329 261 68
  Missouri river NW NW sec. 27   Jan. 24, 1944 34   86
4.29
33
2.71
70
3.04
250
4.10
245
5.10
25
.70
1.0
.05
5.8
.09
    591 350 205 145
17 North American Aviation Co. NE NW sec. 27 105 Nov. 2, 1943 56 12 115
5.74
31
2.55
22
.98
427
7.00
91
1.89
12
.34
0.2
.01
1.8
.03
6.9 75 498 414 350 64
25 Milk Producers Marketing Co. NW SE sec. 27   Oct. 14, 1943 58 17 161
8.03
44
3.62
34
1.49
637
10.45
59
1.23
50
1.41
0.1
.01
2.5
.04
6.9 116 686 582 522 60
26 Freuhauf Trailer Co. SW SE sec. 27 73.2 Nov. 23, 1943   19 168
8.38
45
3.70
14
.62
617
10.12
99
2.06
17
.48
0.1
.01
1.8
.03
    672 604 506 98
8 Aircraft Accessories Corp. NW NE sec. 34   Nov. 23, 1943 52 16 153
7.63
41
3.37
9.9
.43
614
10.07
46
.96
13
.37
0.1
.01
1.5
.02
    588 550 504 46
32 Modification Center NW NW sec. 35 85.3 Nov. 23, 1943 57 19 150
7.48
42
3.45
25
1.09
680
11.15
24
.50
12
.34
0.2
.01
1.5
.02
    614 680 24 12
34 Sealbright Co., Inc. SW NE sec. 34 60 Nov. 2, 1943 60 14 194
9.68
54
4.44
20
.87
644
10.56
174
3.62
27
.76
0.1
.01
2.2
.04
7.0 90 807 706 528 178
35 Test hole NE NE SW sec. 34 35.5 Aug. 4, 1944 59   205
10.23
44
3.62
35
1.52
456
7.48
291
6.05
63
1.78
0.3
.02
2.3
.04
    869 692 374 318
36 Test hole NW NW SE sec. 34 71 Aug. 8, 1944 58 11 252
12.57
65
5.34
39
1.71
473
7.76
493
10.25
55
1.55
0.3
.02
2.7
.04
    1,154 473 493 55
37 Test hole NW NE SE sec. 34 77 Aug. 7, 1944 57 14 174
8.68
47
3.86
22
.98
548
8.99
152
3.16
47
1.32
0.1
.01
2.4
.04
    732 627 450 177
39 Test hole SW NW NW sec. 34 88 Aug. 21, 1944 58 8.2 129
6.44
42
3.45
20
.89
583
9.56
37
.77
15
.42
0.1
.01
1.3
.02
    544 494 478 16
40 Test hole SE NW NW sec. 22 89 Aug. 19, 1944 60 11 131
6.54
43
3.53
27
1.18
655
10.74
7.8
.16
11
.31
0.1
.01
1.9
.03
    560 504 504e 0
41 Test hole SE NE NW sec. 22 89 Aug. 19, 1944 59 8.0 105
5.24
28
2.30
34
1.49
429
7.04
72
1.50
16
.45
0.2
.01
2.0
.03
    480 377 352 25
T. 11 S., R. 25 E.
69 Federal Cold Storage Co. SW SW sec. 2 100 Nov. 2, 1943 64 8.3 96
4.79
28
2.30
46
2.00
320
5.25
150
3.12
24
.68
0.3
.02
1.5
.02
7.0 39 514 354 262 92
78 Kansas City Dressed Beef Co. SE SE sec. 10 77.5 Nov. 2, 1943 61 20 293
14.62
46
3.78
1148
49.94
673
11.04
308
6.41
1780
50.20
0.2
.01
42
.68
7.0 95 3,974 920 652 368
79 National Laboratories Corp. SE SE sec. 10   Nov. 23, 1943   14 348
17.36
42
3.45
471
20.49
748
12.27
507
10.54
605
17.06
0.2
.01
88
1.42
    2,449 1,040 614 426
80 Maurer Packing Co. SW SW sec. 11   Nov. 23, 1943 61 10 169
8.43
25
2.06
1395
60.70
786
12.89
167
3.47
1920
54.14
0.2
.01
42
.68
    4,121 524 524f 0
81 Meyer Kornblum Packing Co. SE SE sec. 10 67 Nov. 2, 1943 58 .20 239
11.93
47
3.86
256
11.12
849
13.92
89
1.85
391
11.03
0.0
.00
6.6
.11
7.0 117 1,473 790 696 94
85 Test hole SE SW SE sec. 10 69 July 24, 1944 61 12 189
9.43
31
2.55
644
28.03
644
10.56
116
2.41
965
29.93
0.2
.01
6.2
.10
    2,275 599 528 71
86 Test hole SE SE SE sec. 10 77 July 24, 1944 61 19 274
13.67
41
3.37
1297
56.43
705
11.56
194
4.04
2045
57.67
0.2
.01
12
.19
    4,235 852 578 274
87 Test hole SW SW SW sec. 11 68 July 28, 1944 62 15 286
14.27
47
3.86
2469
107.41
562
9.22
191
3.97
3980
112.24
0.2
.01
6.2
.10
    7,275 906 461 445
88 Test hole SW NW sec. 6 79 July 26, 1944 61 22 442
22.06
81
6.66
878
38.20
532
8.72
462
9.61
1720
48.50
0.2
.01
5.3
.08
    3,876 1,436 436 1,000
92 Swift and Co. SW SE sec. 15 80 Nov. 22, 1943 60 13 183
9.13
27
2.22
370
16.11
600
9.84
121
2.52
525
14.80
0.2
.01
18
.29
    1,557 568 492 76
95 Standard Rendering Co. NE NE sec. 22.   Oct. 14, 1943 65 4 117
5.84
21
1.73
202
8.80
523
8.58
40
.83
234
6.60
0.2
.01
22
.35
7.3 28 902 378 378g 0
96 Sambol Packing Co. NE NE sec. 22   Oct. 14, 1943   .81 82
4.09
15
1.23
88
3.82
34
5.718
36
.75
89
2.51
0.3
.02
9.3
.15
7.5 13 494 266 266h 0
97 Test hole NW SW SE sec. 15 68 July 19, 1944 60 27 359
17.91
39
3.21
91
3.97
506
8.30
640
13.31
122
3.44
0.2
.01
2.1
.03
    1,533 1,056 415 641
98 Test hole SE SW SE sec. 15 68 July 19, 1944 60 32 366
18.26
33
2.71
67
2.93
544
8.92
602
12.52
86
2.42
0.2
.01
2.0
.03
    1,460 1,048 446 602
99 Test hole NE cor. NW NE sec. 22 72 July 20, 1944 61 17 228
11.38
22
1.81
100
4.33
460
7.54
314
6.53
121
3.41
0.2
.01
2.0
.03
    1,034 660 377 283
100 Test hole SE NE NE sec. 22 77 July 20, 1944 64 2.7 68
3.39
18
1.48
201
8.74
472
7.74
48
1.00
170
4.79
0.2
.01
4.4
.07
    748 244 244i 0
101 Test hole NW SW NW sec. 23 98 July 21, 1944 61 5.1 284
14.17
38
3.12
94
4.09
499
8.18
404
8.40
168
4.74
0.2
.01
3.0
.05
    1,246 864 409 465
105 Wilson and Co. SW NE sec. 22   Nov. 23, 1943   7.1 158
7.88
26
2.14
240
10.46
437
7.17
156
3.24
350
9.87
0.2
.01
12
.19
    1,168 501 358 143
108 Midwest Cold Storage Co. NE SW sec. 22 93.5   59 3.7 105
5.24
22
1.81
62
2.68
364
5.97
43
.89
100
2.82
0.2
.01
2.2
.04
7.1 29 520 352 298 64
111 Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co. NW NW sec. 21   Oct. 14, 1943 61 21 399
19.91
35
2.88
129
5.62
595
9.76
650
13.52
180
5.08
0.2
.01
2.2
.04
6.8 168 1,714 1,140 488 652
117 Test hole SE SW SW sec. 16 65 July 18, 1944 63 32 438
21.86
47
3.86
156
6.79
498
8.17
815
16.95
260
7.33
0.3
.02
2.6
.04
    2,000 1,286 408 878
118 Test hole NW cor. sec. 21 68 July 17, 1944 62 17 276
13.77
36
2.96
78
3.37
416
6.82
487
10.13
110
3.10
0.2
.01
2.2
.04
    1,214 836 341 495
119 Test hole SE NE NE sec. 20 78 July 15, 1944 62 5.6 114
5.69
17
1.40
55
2.41
361
5.92
109
2.27
45
1.27
0.2
.01
2.0
.03
    528 364 296 58
120 Test hole NW SE NE sec. 20 78 July 10, 1944 61 2.2 73
3.64
11
.90
45
1.95
256
4.20
80
1.66
21
.59
0.2
.01
1.8
.03
    362 227 210 17
121 Test hole NE NW SE sec. 20 68 July 29, 1944 64 9.2 278
13.87
31
2.55
146
6.37
411
6.74
545
11.34
166
4.68
0.2
.01
1.3
.02
    1,382 821 337 484
123 Test hole SW SW SE sec. 20 72 July 7, 1944 59 25 229
11.43
33
2.71
489
21.26
366
6.00
312
6.49
810
22.84
0.1
.01
3.6
.06
    2,085 707 300 407
129 Proctor and Gamble Manuf'g Co. SE SE sec. 17 76 Nov. 2, 1943 61 8.4 146
7.28
23
1.89
63
2.74
442
7.25
126
2.62
71
2.00
0.2
.01
2.1
.03
7.0 64 661 458 362 96
131 Sinclair Refining Co. NW NW sec. 20   Oct. 14, 1943   15 212
10.58
24
1.97
30
1.30
492
8.07
216
4.49
44
1.24
0.3
.02
2.0
.03
6.8 122 789 628 404 224
133 Sinclair Refining Co. NE NW sec. 20 70 Oct. 14, 1943   416 461
23.00
97
7.97
311
13.54
814
13.55
1271
26.44
164
4.62
0.5
.03
4.2
.07
6.1   3,132 1,548 668 880
T. 11 S., R. 24 E.
139 Test hole NW SE sec. 21 61 June 20, 1944 61 16 138
6.89
12
.99
26
1.11
337
5.53
128
2.66
27
.76
0.1
.01
1.7
.03
    517 394 276 118
140 Test hole NW SE sec. 21 74 June 15, 1944   11 126
6.29
13
1.07
24
1.06
334
5.48
87
1.81
39
1.10
0.1
.01
1.2
.02
    468 368 274 94
141 Test hole SW SW sec. 22 54.5 June 16, 1944   8.6 133
6.64
11
.90
9.9
.43
351
5.76
88
1.83
12
.34
0.1
.01
1.7
.03
    440 377 288 89
142 Test hole SW SW sec. 22 55 July 5, 1944 60 2.8 74
3.69
16
1.32
51
2.22
266
4.36
116
2.41
15
.42
0.2
.01
1.8
.03
    410 250 218 32
143 Test hole SW SW sec. 22 67.5 June 16, 1944   14 145
7.24
12
.99
4.8
.21
377
6.18
91
1.89
12
.34
0.1
.01
1.3
.02
    469 412 309 103
144 Test hole NE NW sec. 27 76 June 17, 1944 59 15 288
14.37
22
1.81
18
.79
338
5.54
533
11.09
10
.28
0.3
.02
2.4
.04
    1,058 809 277 532
145 Test hole NE NW sec. 27 48 June 19, 1944   5.3 154
7.68
17
1.40
64
.28
445
7.30
84
1.75
90
25
0.3
.02
2.5
.04
    501 454 365 89
147 A. T. and S. F. Railway NE SW sec. 28 69.9 Nov. 22, 1943   12 197
9.83
18
1.48
21
.91
465
7.63
149
3.10
44
1.24
0.1
.01
15
.24
    689 566 382 184
T. 11 S., R. 23 E.
149 Camp Theodore Naish SW NW sec. 27   Nov. 22, 1943   .48 157
7.83
21
1.73
5.5
.24
407
6.67
128
2.66
13
37
0.1
.01
5.8
.09
    534 478 334 144
150 Test hole NW SE sec. 28 68 June 23, 1944 66 2.8 149
7.44
14
1.15
35
1.52
306
5.02
184
3.83
44
1.24
0.2
.01
.66
.01
    583 430 251 179
151 Test hole NW SE sec. 28 68 June 22, 1944 59 11 189
9.43
18
1.48
15
.66
346
5.67
239
4.97
32
.90
0.2
.01
.97
.02
    678 546 284 262
152 Test hole NW SE sec. 28 71 June 21, 1944 65 20 158
7.88
14
1.15
49
2.15
332
5.44
218
4.53
42
1 18
0.2
.01
1.3
.02
    668 452 272 180
153 Test hole SE cor. SW sec. 28 55 June 27, 1944 60 16 140
6.99
14
1.15
18
.77
425
6.97
72
1.50
14
.39
0.2
.01
2.4
.04
    489 407 348 59
154 Test hole NW NE sec. 33 55 June 28, 1944 60 12 108
5.39
13
1.07
24
1.06
368
6.04
51
1.06
14
.39
0.2
.01
1.5
.02
    408 323 302 21
155 Test hole NW NE soc. 33 52 June 29, 1944 58 25 127
6.34
11
.90
14
.61
377
6.18
62
1.29
12
.34
0.2
.01
1.8
.03
    442 362 309 53
156 Test hole SW NE sec. 33 56 July 1, 1944 62 10 129
6.44
13
1.07
8.3
.36
337
5.53
91
1.89
15
.42
0.1
.01
1.5
.02
    436 376 276 100
157 Test hole NW SE sec. 33 51 July 1, 1944 59 10 102
5.09
14
1.15
6.
.297
265
4.55
82
1.70
16
.45
0.1
.01
1.3
.02
    365 312 218 94
158 Test hole NE SW sec. 33 41.5 July 3, 1944 60 4.2 128
6.39
14
1.15
3.2
.14
348
5.71
73
1.52
15
.42
0.1
.01
1.5
.02
    413 377 286 91
160 Lone Star Cement Co. NE SW sec. 28. 80 Oct. 25, 1943 61 .21 127
6.34
16
1.32
36
1.57
281
4.61
135
1.81
61
1.72
0.2
.01
5.3
.08
7.0 38 521 383 230 153
161 Test hole NE SW sec. 28 85.5 June 24, 1944 66 21 104
5.19
8.8
.72
25
1.08
240
3.94
108
2.25
27
.76
0.3
.02
1.5
.02
    416 296 197 99
162 Test hole SE SE sec. 29 63 June 24, 1944 60 52 131
6.54
10
.82
2.5
.11
312
5.12
86
1.79
18
.51
0.1
.01
2.4
.04
    458 368 256 112
163 Test hole SE SE sec. 29 72.5 June 26, 1944 59 14 138
6.89
12
.99
1.6
.07
334
5.48
90
1.87
20
.56
0.1
.01
2.1
.03
    445 394 274 120
165 City of Bonner Springs SW NE sec. 32 57 1944     113
5.64
16
1.32
5.5
.24
331
5.43
70
1.46
9.0
.15
0.3
.02
2.6
.04
    435 348 271 77
167 Test hole NE cor. SW SW sec. 32 44 June 27, 1944 60 58 85
4.24
13
1.07
25
1.08
317
5.20
31
.64
15
.42
0.3
.02
6.6
.11
    392 266 260 6
a. One part per million is equivalent to one pound of substance per million pounds of water or 8.33 pounds per million gallons of water.
b. An equivalent per million is a unit chemical equivalent weight of solute per million unit weights of solution. Concentration in equivalents per million is calculated by dividing the concentration in parts per million by the chemical combining weight of the substance or ion.
c. Calculated.
d. Sample collected from Missouri river adjacent to well 16.
e. Total alkalinity, 537 parts per million; excess alkalinity, 33 parts per million.
f. Total alkalinity, 644 parts per million; excess alkalinity, 120 parts per million.
g. Total alkalinity, 429 parts per million; excess alkalinity, 51 parts per million.
h. Total alkalinity, 286 parts per million; excess alkalinity, 20 parts per million.
i. Total alkalinity, 387 parts per million; excess alkalinity, 143 parts per million.

Chemical Constituents in Relation to Use

Dissolved Solids

When water is evaporated the residue that is left consists mainly of the mineral constituents listed above and generally includes a small quantity of organic material arid a little water of crystallization. Waters containing less than 500 parts per million of dissolved solids generally are satisfactory for domestic use and most industrial purposes, except for difficulties resulting from their hardness or excessive content of iron. Waters containing more than 1,000 parts per million are likely to include enough of certain constituents to produce a noticeable taste or to make the water unsuitable in some other respects.

The dissolved solids ranged from 437 to 1,154 parts per million in 21 .samples collected in the Missouri River Valley in the Fairfax District and ranged from 365 to 1,058 parts in 53 samples collected in the Kansas River Valley between Bonner Springs and Kansas City, Kansas. The 30 samples of water collected in the Kansas River Valley within Kansas City (Argentine, Armourdale, and Central Districts) contained dissolved solids ranging from 362 to 7,275 parts per million. The samples from 20 of the 28 wells in the Kansas River Valley within Kansas City contained more than 1,000 parts per million of dissolved solids. The quantities of dissolved solids in the samples of water analyzed are summarized in Table 6 and are shown graphically in Figure 9.

Table 6--Summary of the chemical characteristics of the samples of water collected from wells in the alluvium in the Kansas and Missouri River Valleys in the Kansas City, Kamas, area

Range in parts
per million
Number of samples
Fairfax
district
East
Armourdale
and
Central
districts
West
Armourdale
and
Argentine
districts
Kansas
Valley
west of
Kansas City,
Kansas
Dissolved Solids
301-400     1 2
401-500 5 1 0 12
501-700 10 1 2 8
701-1,000 5 2 1 1
1,001-2,000 1 7 4 0
2,001-3,000 0 2 1 0
3,001-4,000 0 2 1 0
4,001-5,000 0 2 0 0
5,001-8,000 0 1 0 0
Hardness
201-300 0 2 1 3
301-400 5 2 1 11
401-500 6 0 1 6
501-700 9 5 1 2
701-1,000 1 5 3 1
1,001-1,500 0 4 2 0
1,500-2,000 0 0 1 0
Iron
0.1-1.0 0 1 0 2
1.1-2.0 0 0 0 0
2.1-50 0 3 1 3
5.1-10.0 9 3 3 4
10.1-15.0 6 4 1 7
15.1-20.0 6 4 1 3
20.1-25.0 1 1 2 2
25.1-50.0 0 2 1 0
More than 50 0 0 1 (a) 2
Chloride
Less than 10 0 0 0 1
11-20 13 0 0 14
21-30 5 0 1 2
31-50 2 0 2 5
51-100 4 3 1 1
101-200 0 4 4 0
201-500 0 3 1 0
501-1,000 0 3 1 0
1,001-2,000 0 3 0 0
2,001-5,000 0 2 0 0
a. 416 parts per million.

Figure 9--Dissolved solids in the waters in the alluvium in the Kansas and Missouri River Valleys.

Dissolved solids in the waters in the alluvium in the Kansas and Missouri River Valleys.

Hardness

The hardness of water, which is the property that receives the most attention as a general rule, is most commonly recognized by its effects when soap is used with the water in washing. Calcium and magnesium cause almost all the hardness of ordinary water. These constituents are also the active agents in the formation of the greater part of all the scale formed in steam boilers and in other vessels in which water is heated or evaporated.

In addition to the total hardness, the tables of analyses show the carbonate hardness and the noncarbonate hardness. The carbonate hardness is that due to the presence of calcium and magnesium bicarbonates which are almost entirely precipitated by boiling. In some reports this type of hardness is called temporary hardness. The noncarbonate hardness is due to the presence of sulfates or chlorides of calcium and magnesium; it is not removed by simply bringing the water to the boiling point, and has sometimes been called permanent hardness. With reference to use with soaps, there is no difference between the carbonate and noncarbonate hardness. In general, the noncarbonate hardness forms harder scale in steam boilers.

Water having a hardness of less than 50 parts per million generally is rated as soft, and its treatment for the removal of hardness under ordinary circumstances is not necessary. Hardness between 50 and 150 parts per million does not seriously interfere with the use of water for most purposes; however, it does slightly increase the consumption of soap, and its removal by a softening process is profitable for laundries or other industries using large quantities of soap. Waters in the upper part of this range of hardness will cause considerable scale in steam boilers. Hardness above 150 parts per million can be noticed by anyone, and if the hardness is above 200 or 300 parts per million it is common practice to soften water for household use or to install cisterns to collect soft rain water.

Water samples collected in the Kansas and Missouri Valleys ranged in hardness from 227 to 1,548 parts per million. Only 6 of the 72 samples had less than 300 parts per million of hardness and only 38 samples contained less than 500 parts of hardness. As shown on Figure 10 and summarized in Table 6 the ground water in the Kansas River Valley west of Kansas City is not as hard as that in the Missouri River Valley.

Figure 10--Total hardness in the waters in the alluvium of the Kansas and Missouri River Valleys.

Total hardness in the waters in the alluvium of the Kansas and Missouri River Valleys.

Iron

Next to hardness, iron is the constituent of natural waters that in general receives the most attention. The quantity of iron in ground waters may differ greatly from place to place, even though the waters are derived from the same formation. If a water contains much more than 0.1 part per million of iron, the excess may precipitate and settle as a reddish sediment. Iron may be removed from most waters by simple aeration and filtration, but a few waters require the addition of lime or some other substance.

All but 3 of the samples of water collected in the Missouri and Kansas River Valleys contained more than 2.0 parts per million of iron (Tables 5 and 6). Most of the samples of water contained more than 5.0 parts per million of iron and 12 samples contained more than 20 parts. One sample collected at the Sinclair Refining Company in the Argentine District contained 416 parts per million of iron.

Chloride

Water containing less than 150 parts per million of chloride is not objectionable for most uses but that containing more than 350 parts per million is objectionable for irrigation or industrial use. Water containing more than about 500 parts per million becomes objectionable to the taste.

The quantities of chloride in the samples of water collected in the Kansas and Missouri Valleys are summarized in Table 6 and are shown graphically in Figure 11. The samples of water from the Missouri River Valley and from the Kansas River Valley west of Kansas City contained less than 100 parts per million of chloride. The samples of water collected in the Argentine, Armourdale, and Central Districts contained much greater amounts of chloride; 13 samples contained more than 200 parts per million of chloride and 5 samples contained more than 1,000 parts.

Figure 11--Chloride content of waters in the alluvium in the Kansas and Missouri River Valleys.

Chloride content of waters in the alluvium in the Kansas and Missouri River Valleys.

Hydrogen-Ion Concentration

The hydrogen-ion concentration is of importance. with reference to the corrosiveness of waters. The pH value of a water is the logarithm of the reciprocal of the gram ionic hydrogen equivalents per liter. Thus a low value of pH means a high concentration of hydrogen-ions, or acidity, and a high value of pH indicates a low concentration of hydrogen-ions. A neutral water has a pH of 7.0. The pH values of the waters were determined by Mr. Stoltenberg using portable apparatus at the time of collection of the samples.

The pH of 14 water samples collected in the Kansas and Missouri River Valleys ranged from 6.1 to 7.5. Four samples of water collected in the Argentine and west Armourdale Districts had pH values of 6.1, 6.8, 6.8, and 7.0, respectively. The pH values of the five samples of water collected in the East Armourdale and Central Districts were 7.0 or higher.

Temperature of Ground Water

The great advantage of ground water in this area for cooling is not only its relatively low temperature, but its uniform temperature throughout the year, which approximates the mean annual temperature of the air. The temperature of water in wells located near the river may be affected considerably by the infiltration of river water but the temperature of water in anyone well that is not affected by the river probably does not vary more than 2° or 3° F. during the year. The temperatures of the waters in 62 wells and test holes were determined during 1943 and 1944 and are given in Table 7. The temperatures ranged from 52° to 66° F. but most of the waters had temperatures between 56° and 62° F. The range in temperature of the water in the 62 wells and test holes is summarized in Table 7.

Table 7--Range of temperature of water in wells and test holes in the Kansas City, Kansas, area

Temperature range
° F.
Number of wells
and test holes
52-54 4
55-56 2
57-58 11
59-60 20
61-62 17
63-64 4
65-66 4

The temperature of the water in the wells of the Federal Cold Storage Company, which are located near Missouri River in the Fairfax District, varies with the season. The minimum annual water temperature is about 55° F. and the maximum about 64° F. The maximum temperature in 1942 was 62° F.

The temperature measurements given in Table 5 and summarized in Table 7 indicate that the normal temperature of the ground water that is not affected by recharge from the river ranges from about 57° to 61° F. In wells near the river, the water may have a temperature considerably lower or higher than the normal water temperature, depending on the season. Temperatures as high as 66° F. and as low as 52° F. were observed but they were caused by seasonal recharging of the ground-water reservoir with river water.


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Kansas Geological Survey, Geohydrology
Placed on web Oct. 4, 2016; originally published February 1948.
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