Geoscience in Your State: Kansas

Cover of Geoscience Policy State Factsheet. Image credit: AGI

By the numbers: Kansas

3,380 geoscience employees (excludes self-employed)¹
2.84 billion gallons/day: total groundwater withdrawal³
$598 million: value of nonfuel mineral production in 2017⁴
60 total disaster declarations, including 33 severe storm, 13 flood, and 4 fire disasters (1953-2017)⁶
$1.99 million: NSF GEO grants awarded in 2017^...

Agencies Working on Geoscience Issues in kansas

Kansas Corporation Commission - Conservation Division

https://kcc.ks.gov/oil-gas

The KCC's Conservation Division regulates oil and natural gas production in the state. Its mission is to protect correlative rights and environmental resources with effective regulatory oversight of oil and natural gas exploration and production activities, and intrastate gas storage.

Kansas Department of Health and Environment

https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/

The mission of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment is to protect and improve the health and environment of all Kansans. The Department consists of three divisions: Environment, Health Care Finance, and Public Health. The Division of Environment has the following six bureaus that work toward Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments: Air, Environmental Field Services, Environmental Remediation, Health and Environmental Laboratories, Waste Management and Water.

Kansas Division of Emergency Management

http://www.kansastag.gov/kdem_default.asp

The Division of Emergency Management is the arm of the Adjutant General's Department that provides mitigation advocacy, planning requirements and guidance, response coordination, and administration of recovery programs for the civil sector of the State, regardless of the type of hazards.

Kansas Energy Office

https://kcc.ks.gov/kansas-energy-office

The Kansas Energy Office, a division of the Kansas Corporation Commission, administers programs and connects Kansans to objective information about conservation, efficiency, and alternative energy. Funding is provided by the federal State Energy Program.

Kansas Geological Survey

http://www.kgs.ku.edu/

The Kansas Geological Survey (KGS), a research and service division of the University of Kansas, is charged by statute with studying and providing information on the state's geologic resources.

Kansas Water Office

https://kwo.ks.gov/

The Kansas Water Office is the water planning, policy, coordination and marketing agency for the state. The primary statutory function of the agency is the development and implementation of the Kansas Water Plan. State law requires the Kansas Water Office to "Formulate on a continuing basis a comprehensive State Water Plan for the management, conservation and development of the water resources of the state. KWO, in coordination with the Kansas Water Authority, also reviews all water laws and makes recommendations to the Governor and Legislature for needed legislation to ensure water policies and programs address the needs of all Kansans.

Case Studies & Factsheets

Groundwater use in the United States

Fresh water from underground Groundwater is any water found underground in the cracks and pores in soil, sand, or rock. Groundwater provides 25% of the fresh water used in the United States.1 It is particularly important for irrigation and domestic uses in arid or remote areas, where surface water...

Roadway deicing in the United States

Background In areas prone to winter precipitation, transportation infrastructure must be able to quickly respond to snow and ice on roadways. Ice removal is a vital service in these communities. Deicing chemicals melt ice by lowering the temperature at which it melts. They can also prevent new ice...

Present Day Climate Change

Climate Science 101 Climate is the average of weather conditions over several decades.1,2 Geoscientists monitor modern climate conditions (1880 A.D. to present) in part by taking direct measurements of weather data (i.e., air temperature, rainfall and snowfall, wind speed, cloudiness, and so on)...

Fig. 1. A 1995 landslide in Overland Park, Kansas, destroyed two homes and damaged four lots. Credit: Kansas Geological Survey

Geologic map delineates landslide hazards in Kansas

Landslide hazard maps based on geologic maps are a tool for local government officials, planners, developers, engineers, insurance companies, lending institutions, and landowners to assess the risk and take appropriate actions. Defining the Problem Damaging landslides occur even in vertically...

Dry well usage across the United States

Introduction Dry wells improve stormwater drainage and aquifer recharge by providing a fast, direct route for rainwater to drain deep into underlying sediment and rock. Dry wells are most common in the western U.S. where clay or caliche layers slow down the natural drainage of water into underlying...

Spills in Oil and Natural Gas Fields

Introduction Oilfield spills can harm wildlife and pose a risk to human health if they reach fresh water sources or contaminate soil or air. The enormous size of the oil and gas industry and the huge volumes of oil and produced water that are handled, stored, and transported result in thousands of...

Geoscience in Kansas

By the numbers: Kansas 3,380 geoscience employees (excludes self-employed)1 2.84 billion gallons/day: total groundwater withdrawal3 $598 million: value of nonfuel mineral production in 20174 60 total disaster declarations, including 33 severe storm, 13 flood, and 4 fire disasters (1953-2017)6...

Subsurface Data in the Oil and Gas Industry

Introduction Drilling for oil and gas is expensive. A single well generally costs $5-8 million onshore and $100-200 million or more in deep water.1 To maximize the chances of drilling a productive well, oil and gas companies collect and study large amounts of information about the Earth’s...

Induced Seismicity from Oil and Gas Operations

Manmade Earthquakes Any activity that significantly changes the pressure on or fluid content of rocks has the potential to trigger earthquakes. This includes geothermal energy production, water storage in large reservoirs, groundwater extraction, underground injection of water for enhanced oil...

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