Factors producing a nine‐year decline in ground‐water levels in Scott County, Kansas

In the south‐central part of Scott County, Kansas, there is an area of shallow water‐table in which the ground‐water levels have declined steadily since 1932 (Fig. 1). In this area water has been withdrawn from wells for irrigation in increasing amounts during the last decade and the precipitation has been considerably below normal for the last seven years. Thus, the problem of interpreting the downward trend of the water‐table has been complicated by the presence of two competent causes.