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Stuart Wesley Fader

Publications and source records attributed to Stuart Wesley Fader.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1977

Geohydrology of the Great Bend Prairie, south-central Kansas

Unconsolidated deposits of Pliocene and Pleistocene age comprise the principal aquifer in the Great Bend Prairie. Forty-five million acre-feet of ground water are estimated to be in storage in these deposits. Only about 60 percent of this amount may be usable owing to an insufficient saturated thickness and to high mineralization of water locally. Yields to irrigation wells are commonly between 500 and 1,000 gal/min, and yields of as much as 2,000 gal/min may be available in localities where the saturated thickness is greater than 100 feet. In 1940, there were about 30 municipal and industrial wells and 50 irrigation wells in the area. In 1973, there were about 200 municipal and industrial wells and 950 irrigation wells; and in 1974, about 1,160 irrigation wells. Annual withdrawals of ground water by wells increased from about 5,000 acre-feet in 1940 to about 140,000 acre-feet in 1974. The steadily increasing withdrawal rate has not produced long-term declines of water levels that may be distinguished from the effects of climatic changes. Significant additional development for irrigation that could cause ground-water withdrawal to exceed long-term recharge and result in water-level declines is anticipated in some areas. The average annual recharge rate to ground water from precipitation is estimated to be about 2 inches. The chemical quality of ground water from unconsolidated deposits in the western half of the area is generally suitable for most uses. The chemical quality of water in the eastern half may be unsuitable locally for most purposes as a result of upward leakage of highly mineral-ized water from underlying Permian rocks. Locally, wells in rocks of Early Permian or Early Cretaceous age may yield from about 10 to 100 gal/min. However, the water from these wells generally contains more than 1,000 mg/L (milligrams per liter) of dissolved solids and more than 500 mg/L of chloride and sulfate.

Kansas↗
USGS1975

Ground water in the Verdigris River basin, Kansas and Oklahoma

Ground water in the Verdigris River basin occurs in consolidated rocks and unconsolidated deposits ranging in age from Mississippian to Quaternary. Water for municipal, industrial, and irrigation supplies generally can be obtained in limited quantities from the alluvial deposits in the stream valleys. Except for water in the alluvial deposits in the stream valleys and in the outcrop areas of the bedrock aquifers, the groundwater is generally of poor chemical quality. Owing to the generally poor chemical quality of water and low yields to wells, an increase in the use of ground water from the consolidated rocks is improbable. The unconsolidated rocks in the Verdigris River basin receive about 166,000 acre-feet of recharge annually, and about 1 million acre-fee of water is in temporary storage in the deposits. In 1968 about 4,200 acre-feet of ground was withdrawn for all uses. About 800 acre-feet of ground and 5,000 acre-feet of surface water were pumped for irrigation of 5,300 acres of cropland. The total annual withdrawal of ground water for irrigation may be 2,000 acre-feet by the year 2000.

Kansas, Oklahoma↗
USGS1975

Ground water in the middle Arkansas River basin, Kansas and Oklahoma

Ground water in the Middle Arkansas River basin occurs in consolidated rocks and unconsolidated deposits. Wells for domestic and stock supply generally can be drilled successfully in consolidated rocks. Wells for large-scale municipal, industrial, and irrigation supplies generally are successful in areas underlain by saturated unconsolidated deposits of sand and gravel. Unconsolidated deposits in the basin receive about 2 million acre-feet of recharge annually, and about 84 million acre-feet of water is in temporary storage in the deposits. In 1968 and 1969 about 270,000 acre-feet of ground water was withdrawn annually for all purposes. Of the total withdrawn, about 167,000 acre-feet was applied for irrigation of about 122,000 acres of cropland. Total annual ground-water withdrawals for irrigation may be 1 million acre-feet by the year 2000.

Kansas, Oklahoma↗
USGS1975

Land subsidence caused by dissolution of salt near four oil and gas wells in central Kansas

Collapse of the overlying strata into voids caused by dissolution of salt is the apparent cause of progressive land subsidence at the sites of several oil wells that were drilled through the salt beds of the Wellington Formation in Kansas. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if data from four sites, shown in figure 1, substantiate the hypothesis that corroded, broken, or improperly sealed casing permitted relatively fresh water from the shallow aquifers to circulate within the salt zone and that the resulting brine solution leaked downward into permeable zones that would accept the fluid under hydrostatic pressure. Strata similar to those penetrated by wells at the four sites (shown in tables 1 and 2) underlie much of central Kansas. Many thousands of oil and gas wells have been drilled through the salt beds, but land subsidence has been reported at few of the sites. Reported sites are near highways, and two well-documented instances of subsidence involve the stability of highway right-of-way. Because many wells have been drilled in remote areas, similar occurrences may remain unreported. The scope of this investigation is limited to the compilation, analysis and interpretation of the available data from four sites shown in figure 1, and the mention of a fifth site. The photograph (fig. 2) shows a deteriorated casing pulled from a well located between Sites 3 and 4 in western Rice County. The casing consists of inner and outer pipes with the annular space between filled with cement. The almost complete failure of the outer pipe is evident. The casing is believed to be from the well in the concrete pit that is in the lower right of the photograph. The pond in the background is a sink that has developed near the well; detailed historical data, however, were unavailable for further study of this site. The investigation was requested by the Energy Research and Develop-ment Administration (formerly U.S. Atomic Energy Commission) as part of a study of bedded salt in Kansas as a repository for radioactive wastes. Data for the report were collected from the files of several Kansas State agencies; the Highway Commission, Department of Health and Environment, Geological Survey, and the Corporation Commission. The author particularly wishes to thank V. A. Burgat and W. K. Taylor of the Highway Commission; B. F. Latta, D. L. Butcher, and M. W. Glotzback of the Department of Health and Environment; and F. W. Wilson of the Geological Survey for information based on personal observations and for resolving apparent contradictions in the available data. The geologic formations that underlie the four sites selected for this study are described in table 1 and information about the oil and gas wells at the sites is given in table 2.

Kansas↗