Water-Quality Monitoring in the Lower Kansas River Basin
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By Kansas Water Science Center
November 8, 2023
The Kansas River provides recreational and industrial uses, food procurement, groundwater recharge, irrigation, livestock water use, and drinking water to more than 950,000 people in northeastern Kansas. Water-quality concerns related to excessive chloride, bromide, nutrient, sediment, and bacteria concentrations have been identified by the State, several water suppliers that use the Kansas River as a water-supply source, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Real Time Data
Real Time Data
- Smoky Hill River at Enterprise, KS (USGS station 06877600)
- Kansas River at Wamego, KS (USGS station 06887500)
- Kansas River above Topeka Weir at Topeka, KS (USGS station 06888990)
- Kansas River at De Soto, KS (USGS station 06892350)
- Kansas River near Lake Quivira, KS (USGS station 06892518)
- USGS National Real-Time Water-Quality webpage
National Water Dashboard
National Water Dashboard
Since 1999, the USGS has conducted studies related to describing hydrology and water quality in the lower Kansas River basin. The USGS, in cooperation with the Kansas River Water-Quality Group (Kansas Department of Health and Environment [KDHE], the Kansas Water Office, the Nature Conservancy, the City of Lawrence, the City of Manhattan, the City of Olathe, the City of Topeka, WaterOne, and Evergy), have collected continuous water-quality monitor and discrete water-quality sample data from the Kansas River to develop of surrogate models that estimate water-quality constituent concentrations that are not easily measured in real-time. The data collected by this project are useful for characterizing changes in water-quality conditions through time, as well as indicating changes in water-quality that may affect drinking-water treatment processes.
The project objectives have been met by
- Real-Time Continuous Water-Quality Monitoring in the Smoky Hill and Kansas Rivers:
- Smoky Hill River at Enterprise, KS (USGS station 06877600)
- Cooperative agreement with USGS and KDHE
- Kansas River at Wamego, KS (USGS station 06887500)
- Cooperative agreement with USGS and Kansas River Water-Quality Group
- Kansas River above Topeka Weir at Topeka, KS (USGS station 06888990)
- Cooperative agreement with USGS and Kansas River Water-Quality Group
- Kansas River at De Soto, KS (USGS station 06892350)
- Cooperative agreement with USGS and Kansas River Water-Quality Group
- Kansas River near Lake Quivira, KS (USGS station 06892518)
- Cooperative agreement with USGS and WaterOne
- Smoky Hill River at Enterprise, KS (USGS station 06877600)
- Discrete Water-Quality Sample Collection:
- Collect routine samples at the Kansas River at Wamego, Topeka, and De Soto sites over the range of hydrologic conditions.
- Sample collection is funded in part through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and cooperative agreement with USGS and Kansas River Water Quality Group.
- Collect routine samples at the Kansas River at Wamego, Topeka, and De Soto sites over the range of hydrologic conditions.
- Evaluation of Water-Quality Data:
- Use the real-time water-quality monitor and discrete sample data to characterize water-quality conditions related to:
- Water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and chlorophyll and phycocyanin fluorescence response
- Major ions, bromide, and dissolved solids
- Nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous species)
- Suspended sediment and total suspended solids
- Use the real-time water-quality monitor and discrete sample data to characterize water-quality conditions related to:
- Surrogate Model Maintenance and Evaluation:
- Maintain regression models that establish relations between continuous and discrete water-quality data collected at the Kansas River at Wamego, Topeka, and De Soto sites. These regression models provide near real-time computations of water-quality constituent concentrations or densities that are not easily measured in real-time.
- Models have been developed and maintained for total dissolved solids, major ions, bromide (in preparation), hardness as calcium carbonate, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus species), chlorophyll a, total suspended solids, suspended sediment, and fecal indicator bacteria.
- Assess surrogate regression model performance over time using water-quality sample results for model validation.
- Kansas River surrogate model computations of water-quality constituent concentrations or densities are available in real-time at the USGS National Real-Time Water-Quality webpage.
- Long-Term Analysis of Kansas River Water-Quality Trends since the Enactment of the Clean Water Act:
- Retrospective analysis of water-quality conditions over a period spanning 5 decades using streamflow and water-quality data collected by the USGS and KDHE.
- Use of Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge, and Season (WRTDS) to characterize and compare trends in water-quality conditions during 1972 through 2020.
- Total dissolved solids
- Chloride
- Ammonia
- Dissolved inorganic nitrogen
- Total nitrogen
- Orthophosphate
- Total phosphorus
- Total suspended solids
- Fecal coliform bacteria
Discrete water-quality data for the Kansas River and tributaries, July 2012 - September 2016
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Data Release provides discrete water-quality data collected from four sites on the Kansas River and four of its tributaries during July 2012 through September 2016. The water-quality constituents included in this data release are the cyanotoxins microcystin and cylindrospermopsin, the taste-and-odor compounds geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol, major ions, alkalinity
Phytoplankton data for the Kansas River and tributaries, July 2012 through February 2017
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Data Release provides phytoplankton data collected from the Kansas River and tributaries, during July 2012 through February 2017. All data are reported as raw calculated values and are not rounded to USGS significant figures. This data release was produced in compliance with the open data requirements as a way to make scientific products associated with USGS rese
Below are publications associated with this project.
Linear regression model documentation and updates for computing water-quality constituent concentrations or densities using continuous real-time water-quality data for the Kansas River, Kansas, July 2012 through September 2019
The Kansas River provides drinking water to about 800,000 people in northeastern Kansas. Water-treatment facilities that use the Kansas River as a water-supply source use chemical and physical processes during water treatment to remove contaminants before public distribution. Advanced notification of changing water-quality conditions near water-supply intakes allows water-treatment facilities to p
Authors
Thomas J. Williams
Linear regression model documentation for computing water-quality constituent concentrations or densities using continuous real-time water-quality data for the Kansas River above Topeka Weir at Topeka, Kansas, November 2018 through June 2021
The Kansas River and its associated alluvial aquifer provide drinking water to more than 950,000 people in northeastern Kansas. Water suppliers that rely on the Kansas River as a water-supply source use physical and chemical processes to treat and remove contaminants before public distribution. An early-notification system of changing water-quality conditions allows water suppliers to proactively
Authors
Thomas J. Williams
Water-quality conditions with an emphasis on cyanobacteria and associated toxins and taste-and-odor compounds in the Kansas River, Kansas, July 2012 through September 2016
Cyanobacteria cause a multitude of water-quality concerns, including the potential to produce toxins and taste-and-odor compounds that may cause substantial economic and public health concerns, and are of particular interest in lakes, reservoirs, and rivers that are used for drinking-water supply. Extensive cyanobacterial blooms typically do not develop in the Kansas River; however, reservoirs in
Authors
Jennifer L. Graham, Guy M. Foster, Thomas J. Williams, Matthew D. Mahoney, Madison R. May, Keith A. Loftin
Logistic and linear regression model documentation for statistical relations between continuous real-time and discrete water-quality constituents in the Kansas River, Kansas, July 2012 through June 2015
The Kansas River is a primary source of drinking water for about 800,000 people in northeastern Kansas. Source-water supplies are treated by a combination of chemical and physical processes to remove contaminants before distribution. Advanced notification of changing water-quality conditions and cyanobacteria and associated toxin and taste-and-odor compounds provides drinking-water treatment facil
Authors
Guy M. Foster, Jennifer L. Graham
Fate and transport of cyanobacteria and associated toxins and taste-and-odor compounds from upstream reservoir releases in the Kansas River, Kansas, September and October 2011
Cyanobacteria cause a multitude of water-quality concerns, including the potential to produce toxins and taste-and-odor compounds. Toxins and taste-and-odor compounds may cause substantial economic and public health concerns and are of particular interest in lakes, reservoirs, and rivers that are used for drinking-water supply, recreation, or aquaculture. The Kansas River is a primary source of dr
Authors
Jennifer L. Graham, Andrew C. Ziegler, Brian L. Loving, Keith A. Loftin
Estimation of constituent concentrations, densities, loads, and yields in lower Kansas River, northeast Kansas, using regression models and continuous water-quality monitoring, January 2000 through December 2003
The lower Kansas River is an important source of drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people in northeast Kansas. Constituents of concern identified by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) for streams in the lower Kansas River Basin include sulfate, chloride, nutrients, atrazine, bacteria, and sediment. Real-time continuous water-quality monitors were operated at three loc
Authors
Teresa J. Rasmussen, Andrew C. Ziegler, Patrick P. Rasmussen
Below are partners associated with this project.
The Kansas River provides recreational and industrial uses, food procurement, groundwater recharge, irrigation, livestock water use, and drinking water to more than 950,000 people in northeastern Kansas. Water-quality concerns related to excessive chloride, bromide, nutrient, sediment, and bacteria concentrations have been identified by the State, several water suppliers that use the Kansas River as a water-supply source, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Real Time Data
Real Time Data
- Smoky Hill River at Enterprise, KS (USGS station 06877600)
- Kansas River at Wamego, KS (USGS station 06887500)
- Kansas River above Topeka Weir at Topeka, KS (USGS station 06888990)
- Kansas River at De Soto, KS (USGS station 06892350)
- Kansas River near Lake Quivira, KS (USGS station 06892518)
- USGS National Real-Time Water-Quality webpage
National Water Dashboard
National Water Dashboard
Since 1999, the USGS has conducted studies related to describing hydrology and water quality in the lower Kansas River basin. The USGS, in cooperation with the Kansas River Water-Quality Group (Kansas Department of Health and Environment [KDHE], the Kansas Water Office, the Nature Conservancy, the City of Lawrence, the City of Manhattan, the City of Olathe, the City of Topeka, WaterOne, and Evergy), have collected continuous water-quality monitor and discrete water-quality sample data from the Kansas River to develop of surrogate models that estimate water-quality constituent concentrations that are not easily measured in real-time. The data collected by this project are useful for characterizing changes in water-quality conditions through time, as well as indicating changes in water-quality that may affect drinking-water treatment processes.
The project objectives have been met by
- Real-Time Continuous Water-Quality Monitoring in the Smoky Hill and Kansas Rivers:
- Smoky Hill River at Enterprise, KS (USGS station 06877600)
- Cooperative agreement with USGS and KDHE
- Kansas River at Wamego, KS (USGS station 06887500)
- Cooperative agreement with USGS and Kansas River Water-Quality Group
- Kansas River above Topeka Weir at Topeka, KS (USGS station 06888990)
- Cooperative agreement with USGS and Kansas River Water-Quality Group
- Kansas River at De Soto, KS (USGS station 06892350)
- Cooperative agreement with USGS and Kansas River Water-Quality Group
- Kansas River near Lake Quivira, KS (USGS station 06892518)
- Cooperative agreement with USGS and WaterOne
- Smoky Hill River at Enterprise, KS (USGS station 06877600)
- Discrete Water-Quality Sample Collection:
- Collect routine samples at the Kansas River at Wamego, Topeka, and De Soto sites over the range of hydrologic conditions.
- Sample collection is funded in part through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and cooperative agreement with USGS and Kansas River Water Quality Group.
- Collect routine samples at the Kansas River at Wamego, Topeka, and De Soto sites over the range of hydrologic conditions.
- Evaluation of Water-Quality Data:
- Use the real-time water-quality monitor and discrete sample data to characterize water-quality conditions related to:
- Water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and chlorophyll and phycocyanin fluorescence response
- Major ions, bromide, and dissolved solids
- Nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous species)
- Suspended sediment and total suspended solids
- Use the real-time water-quality monitor and discrete sample data to characterize water-quality conditions related to:
- Surrogate Model Maintenance and Evaluation:
- Maintain regression models that establish relations between continuous and discrete water-quality data collected at the Kansas River at Wamego, Topeka, and De Soto sites. These regression models provide near real-time computations of water-quality constituent concentrations or densities that are not easily measured in real-time.
- Models have been developed and maintained for total dissolved solids, major ions, bromide (in preparation), hardness as calcium carbonate, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus species), chlorophyll a, total suspended solids, suspended sediment, and fecal indicator bacteria.
- Assess surrogate regression model performance over time using water-quality sample results for model validation.
- Kansas River surrogate model computations of water-quality constituent concentrations or densities are available in real-time at the USGS National Real-Time Water-Quality webpage.
- Long-Term Analysis of Kansas River Water-Quality Trends since the Enactment of the Clean Water Act:
- Retrospective analysis of water-quality conditions over a period spanning 5 decades using streamflow and water-quality data collected by the USGS and KDHE.
- Use of Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge, and Season (WRTDS) to characterize and compare trends in water-quality conditions during 1972 through 2020.
- Total dissolved solids
- Chloride
- Ammonia
- Dissolved inorganic nitrogen
- Total nitrogen
- Orthophosphate
- Total phosphorus
- Total suspended solids
- Fecal coliform bacteria
Discrete water-quality data for the Kansas River and tributaries, July 2012 - September 2016
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Data Release provides discrete water-quality data collected from four sites on the Kansas River and four of its tributaries during July 2012 through September 2016. The water-quality constituents included in this data release are the cyanotoxins microcystin and cylindrospermopsin, the taste-and-odor compounds geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol, major ions, alkalinity
Phytoplankton data for the Kansas River and tributaries, July 2012 through February 2017
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Data Release provides phytoplankton data collected from the Kansas River and tributaries, during July 2012 through February 2017. All data are reported as raw calculated values and are not rounded to USGS significant figures. This data release was produced in compliance with the open data requirements as a way to make scientific products associated with USGS rese
Below are publications associated with this project.
Linear regression model documentation and updates for computing water-quality constituent concentrations or densities using continuous real-time water-quality data for the Kansas River, Kansas, July 2012 through September 2019
The Kansas River provides drinking water to about 800,000 people in northeastern Kansas. Water-treatment facilities that use the Kansas River as a water-supply source use chemical and physical processes during water treatment to remove contaminants before public distribution. Advanced notification of changing water-quality conditions near water-supply intakes allows water-treatment facilities to p
Authors
Thomas J. Williams
Linear regression model documentation for computing water-quality constituent concentrations or densities using continuous real-time water-quality data for the Kansas River above Topeka Weir at Topeka, Kansas, November 2018 through June 2021
The Kansas River and its associated alluvial aquifer provide drinking water to more than 950,000 people in northeastern Kansas. Water suppliers that rely on the Kansas River as a water-supply source use physical and chemical processes to treat and remove contaminants before public distribution. An early-notification system of changing water-quality conditions allows water suppliers to proactively
Authors
Thomas J. Williams
Water-quality conditions with an emphasis on cyanobacteria and associated toxins and taste-and-odor compounds in the Kansas River, Kansas, July 2012 through September 2016
Cyanobacteria cause a multitude of water-quality concerns, including the potential to produce toxins and taste-and-odor compounds that may cause substantial economic and public health concerns, and are of particular interest in lakes, reservoirs, and rivers that are used for drinking-water supply. Extensive cyanobacterial blooms typically do not develop in the Kansas River; however, reservoirs in
Authors
Jennifer L. Graham, Guy M. Foster, Thomas J. Williams, Matthew D. Mahoney, Madison R. May, Keith A. Loftin
Logistic and linear regression model documentation for statistical relations between continuous real-time and discrete water-quality constituents in the Kansas River, Kansas, July 2012 through June 2015
The Kansas River is a primary source of drinking water for about 800,000 people in northeastern Kansas. Source-water supplies are treated by a combination of chemical and physical processes to remove contaminants before distribution. Advanced notification of changing water-quality conditions and cyanobacteria and associated toxin and taste-and-odor compounds provides drinking-water treatment facil
Authors
Guy M. Foster, Jennifer L. Graham
Fate and transport of cyanobacteria and associated toxins and taste-and-odor compounds from upstream reservoir releases in the Kansas River, Kansas, September and October 2011
Cyanobacteria cause a multitude of water-quality concerns, including the potential to produce toxins and taste-and-odor compounds. Toxins and taste-and-odor compounds may cause substantial economic and public health concerns and are of particular interest in lakes, reservoirs, and rivers that are used for drinking-water supply, recreation, or aquaculture. The Kansas River is a primary source of dr
Authors
Jennifer L. Graham, Andrew C. Ziegler, Brian L. Loving, Keith A. Loftin
Estimation of constituent concentrations, densities, loads, and yields in lower Kansas River, northeast Kansas, using regression models and continuous water-quality monitoring, January 2000 through December 2003
The lower Kansas River is an important source of drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people in northeast Kansas. Constituents of concern identified by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) for streams in the lower Kansas River Basin include sulfate, chloride, nutrients, atrazine, bacteria, and sediment. Real-time continuous water-quality monitors were operated at three loc
Authors
Teresa J. Rasmussen, Andrew C. Ziegler, Patrick P. Rasmussen
Below are partners associated with this project.