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Utilization of Groundwater
During the course of the investigation information on 81 wells in the Kansas City, Kansas, area, was obtained. All known industrial wells were visited and all available data concerning them were obtained. No attempt was made to obtain data on all the wells in Kansas River Valley between Bonner Springs and Kansas City, most of which are domestic or stock wells.
Industrial Supplies
In the Kansas City, Kansas, area ground water is used for many industrial purposes. The chief industrial use of ground water is for cooling and condensing, which is largely seasonal. It is used at the Standard Rendering Company for scrubbing and cleaning the plant. It was formerly used in large quantities by the packing plants for washing meat but its use for this purpose has been discontinued because of the possibility of pollution of the ground water and also, because the iron in the water discolored the meat. Many years ago ground water was used at the stock yards in Kansas City, Kansas, for watering stock, but as the stock tanks soon became iron-stained the stock that were unaccustomed to the iron-stained tanks refused to drink the water.
With few exceptions, the users of ground water in Kansas City, Kansas, do not keep records of the quantities of water pumped from their wells. It is this factor more than any other that makes it difficult to carry on a quantitative investigation of the ground-water resources of the area. Because it is essential to have quantitative data before drawing conclusions concerning the ground-water resources, it is necessary to estimate as closely as possible the quantities of water pumped from wells in different parts of the area. This is generally done by obtaining statements from the well operators as to the capacities of the wells and pumps and the average number of hours of pumping each day.
The industrial utilization of ground water in the Kansas City, Kansas, area is considered under four subareas: (1) the Kansas River Valley west of Kansas City, Kansas; (2) the Argentine and West Armourdale Districts; (3) the East Armourdale and Central Districts; and (4) the Fairfax District. Pumpage figures given are for the year 1943.
The first area located west of Kansas City includes only two industrial users of ground water-the Lone Star Cement Company; near Bonner Springs, and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company at Morris. The Lone Star Cement Company obtains its water supply from one well located across the road from and a little west of the plant. The company uses about 350,000 gallons a day for maintaining a moisture chamber at 70° F. Some water is also used for drinking purposes. The Santa Fe Railway Company at Morris obtains its water supply from two gravel-packed wells. The water is used for drinking and for watering stock that are kept temporarily at the Morris stockyards. The wells are pumped at irregular intervals; hence it was difficult to estimate the pumpage, but it is believed to be about 300,000 gallons a day.
There are only three industrial users of ground water in the Argentine and West Armourdale Districts but each uses large amounts, all of which is for cooling and condensing. These three users are the Sinclair Refining Company, which uses about 2,600,000 gallons a day, the Proctor and Gamble Manufacturing Company, which uses about 3,000,000 gallons a day, and the Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Company, which uses about 1,000,000 gallons a day.
The East Armourdale and Central Districts include the packing houses, which are the large users of ground water in these districts, and also a few smaller users of ground water. Some water is used for washing floors as at the Peters Serum Company and the Standard Rendering Company, but most of the ground water is used for cooling and condensing. Swift and Company uses about 4,000,000 gallons of water a day, Wilson and Company uses about 2,600,000 gallons a day, Midwest Cold Storage and Ice Corporation uses about 1,800,000 gallons a day, and the Kansas City Dressed Beef Company, the Meyer Kornblum Company, and the Standard Rendering Company each use about 500,000 gallons per day.
The Fairfax District has nine companies that are using ground water. The largest users of ground water in this area are the Bomber Assembly Plant and the Modification Center of the North American Aviation Company, Incorporated, which use a total of about 8,000,000 gallons a day; the Phillips Petroleum Company, which uses about 7,000,000 gallons a day; and the Federal Cold Storage Company, which uses about 1,300,000 gallons a day. Ground water in the Fairfax District is used almost entirely for cooling and condensing but at the Modification Center it is also used for fire protection.
The industrial use of ground water in the four subareas is summarized in Table 8 and is shown graphically for the three subareas in Kansas City, Kansas, in Figure 12.
Table 8--Summary of the industrial use of ground water in and west of Kansas City, Kansas
| Subarea | Number of wells |
Pumpage in gallons a day |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas River Valley west of Kansas City | 3 | 700,000 |
| Argentine and West Armourdale districts | 15 | 6,600,000 |
| East Armourdale and Central districts | 21 | 10,300,000 |
| Fairfax district | 28 | 17,400,000 |
| Total | 35,000,000 |
Figure 12--Distribution of pumpage by industries in the Kansas City, Kansas, area.
Public Supplies
Bonner Springs is the only city in the area that has a public water system supplied by wells. Kansas City, Kansas, and a large area in the eastern part of Wyandotte County are supplied from the Missouri River.
Bonner Springs is supplied by eight wells (164, 165, and 166), all of which are in the Kansas River Valley, on the south side of the river, and all of which derive water from the alluvium. Two wells (164 and 165) are gravel-packed and are equipped with electrically driven turbine pumps. They are about 60 feet deep and yield from 250 to 300 gallons a. minute each. The other six wells (166) are each about 60 feet deep and are connected by suction lines to a common cylinder pump located in a pump house. These wells are seldom used as their yields are low and the required amount of water can generally be obtained from the two gravel-packed wells.
The water is aerated and chlorinated and is then pumped into the mains. A standpipe, which holds 50,000 gallons, is connected with the mains and is located in the north part of tOIVIl. The average consumption of water is about 2,500,000 gallons a month. The maximum monthly consumption on record was in August 1936 and amounted to 4,365,000 gallons. An analysis of the water (Table 5) indicates a total hardness of 348 parts per million.
Domestic and Stock Supplies
Most of the rural residents in the Kansas River Valley between Bonner Springs and Kansas City derive their domestic and stock supplies from driven wells equipped with lift or suction pumps operated by windmills or by hand. The water is moderately hard, but generally is satisfactory for domestic and stock use.
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Kansas Geological Survey, Geohydrology
Placed on web Oct. 4, 2016; originally published February 1948.
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