Geology topics

Research about Little Arkansas River

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Little Arkansas River.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2022

Documentation of models describing relations between continuous real-time and discrete water-quality constituents in the Little Arkansas River, south-central Kansas, 1998–2019

Data were collected at two monitoring sites along the Little Arkansas River in south-central Kansas that bracket most of the easternmost part of the Equus Beds aquifer. The data were used as part of the city of Wichita’s aquifer storage and recovery project to evaluate source water quality. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Wichita, has continued to monitor the water quality of these sites through 2019 to update previously published regression-based models using continuously measured physicochemical properties and discretely sampled water-quality constituents of interest. The purpose of this report is to provide an update of the previously published linear regression models that have been used to continuously compute estimates of water-quality constituent concentrations or densities at these two sites. Water-quality constituent model updates include those for dissolved and suspended solids, suspended-sediment concentration, hardness, alkalinity, primary ions (bicarbonate, calcium, sodium, chloride, and sulfate), nutrients (total Kjeldahl nitrogen and total phosphorus), total organic carbon, indicator bacteria ( Escherichia coli and fecal coliform bacteria), a trace element (arsenic), and a pesticide (atrazine). Regression analyses were used to develop surrogate models that related continuously measured physicochemical properties, streamflow, and seasonal components to discretely sampled water-quality constituent concentrations or densities. Specific conductance was an explanatory variable for dissolved solids, primary ions, and atrazine. Turbidity was an explanatory variable for total suspended solids and sediment, nutrients, total organic carbon, and indicator bacteria. Streamflow and water temperature were explanatory variables for dissolved arsenic. Seasonal components were included as explanatory variables for atrazine models. The amount of variance explained by most of the updated models was within 5 percent of previously published models.

Kansas↗

USGS2015

Water quality of the Little Arkansas River and Equus Beds Aquifer before and concurrent with large-scale artificial recharge, south-central Kansas, 1995-2012

This fact sheet describes baseline water quality of the Equus Beds aquifer and Little Arkansas River and water-quality effects of artificial recharge by the city of Wichita associated with Phase I (2007–present) of the Aquifer Storage and Recovery project. During 1995 through 2012, more than 8,800 surface water and groundwater water-quality samples were collected and analyzed for more than 400 compounds, including most of the compounds on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s primary drinking-water standards maximum contaminant level list and secondary drinkingwater regulations secondary maximum contaminant level list. Water-quality constituents of concern discussed in detail in this fact sheet are chloride, arsenic, total coliform bacteria, and atrazine. Sulfate, nitrate, iron, manganese, oxidation-reduction potential, and specific conductance also are constituents of concern and are discussed to a lesser extent.

Kansas↗

USGS2015

Water quality of the Little Arkansas River and Equus Beds Aquifer before and concurrent with large-scale artificial recharge, south-central Kansas, 1995-2012

The city of Wichita artificially recharged about 1 billion gallons of water into the Equus Beds aquifer during 2007–2012 as part of Phase I recharge of the Artificial Storage and Recovery project. This report, prepared in cooperation by the U.S. Geological Survey and the city of Wichita, Kansas, summarizes Little Arkansas River (source-water for artificial recharge) and Equus Beds aquifer water quality before (1995–2006) and during (2007–2012) Artificial Storage and Recovery Phase I recharge. Additionally, aquifer water-quality distribution maps are presented and water-quality changes associated with Phase I recharge timing are described. Computed chloride concentrations in the Little Arkansas River exceeded the Federal secondary maximum contaminant level (SMCL) about 20 percent of the time during 1999 through 2012, primarily during low-flow conditions. Groundwater chloride concentrations during 2001 through 2012 exceeded the SMCL in about 6 percent of shallow wells and 7 percent of deep wells, primarily near Burrton, Kansas and along the Arkansas River. Nearly all surface water nitrate plus nitrite concentrations during 1995 through 2012 were less than the Federal maximum contaminant level (MCL); groundwater nitrate plus nitrite concentrations exceeded the MCL in about 16 percent of shallow groundwater samples and were minimal in the deeper parts of the aquifer. Several trace elements frequently exceeded drinking water criteria, including arsenic, iron, and manganese. Recharge activities at Phase I recharge wells have not resulted in substantial effects on groundwater quality in the area, likely because the total amount of water recharged is relatively small (1 billion gallons) compared to aquifer storage volume (greater than 990 billion gallons in winter 2012). The eastward movement of the Burrton chloride plume is likely being slowed by a line of recharge locations associated with Phase I; however, chloride concentrations in deep groundwater still advanced to less than one half mile from the central part of the study area. Water-quality constituents of concern (major ions, nutrients, trace elements, triazine herbicides, and fecal indicator bacteria) have not increased substantially and are likely more affected by climatological (natural recharge by precipitation) and natural (geochemical oxidation/reduction, metabolic and decay rates) processes than artificial recharge. Arsenic remains a water-quality constituent of concern because of natural and continued persistence of concentrations exceeding the Federal maximum contaminant level of 10 micrograms per liter, especially in the deeper parts of the Equus Beds aquifer.

Kansas↗