WSP10478

• File Number: 8407.600
• Description: Platte River Basin - River Basin General Publications - Kansas General Publications
• State: CO
• Basin: South Platte
• Water Division: 1
• Date: 12/1/1942
• Author: Kansas Board of Agri
• Title: Report of the State Board of Agriculture - Volume LXI - Progress on a State Plan of Water Resources Development
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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Water Resources Development

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even the restricted uses of the people and industry then occupying
the area. The effect of these conditions is described later in con-
nection with a discussion of problems in the basin. The recurrence
of such conditions under present circumstances would be a catas-
trophe. For example, at Parsons, prior to 1941, water supply re-
quirements were determined largely by the needs of the munici-
pality, the railroad and the power plant. Assuming that the needs
of established industry remain relatively constant, the demand for
water will increase with grOlvth of population and requirements of
new industry, During the past year Parsons has experienced a
large growth, nearly doubling its population. It is estim11ted that
this, together with the use of water by the ordnance plant, will re-
sult in an increase of about sixty percent in the demand of this
community on the water supply of the Neosho basin. Other locali-
ties in the basin are in somewhat similar circumstances. In order
to insure the successful operation of the ordnance plants for the
duration of the war and assure the continuation of industrial ac-
tivity after the war it is essential to undertake promptly the con-
struction of major works to regulate and make available for use the
now wasted water resources of the N eosho basin.

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PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BASIN

The Neosho basin is irregularly shaped. It includes nearly all of
Marion, Chase and Morris counties near the center of the east half
of the state, and a relatively long, narrow area, extending southeast-
wllrd from the vicinity of Emporia, through lola, to the state line
boundary of Labette and Cherokee counties. A map of the basin
is shown in Figure 1. The basin is nearly 180 miles long and aver-
ages between 30 and 35 miles in width. In the vicinity of Cotton-
wood Falls it is 60 miles wide, and at Hartford, narrows to a mini-
mum of i5 miles.
The basin as a whole is a relatively rough area, consisting of a
great number of small watersheds which combine to form a complete
and highly developed drainage system,
In the upper reaches of the basin the land slopes steeply to the
river valleys, while along the lower portions the slopes become more
gentle. The outer rim of the basin at such points as Tampa, Deia-
van, White City and Dwight, lies at an altitu.de of nearly 1,500
feet above sea level. The highest point along the rim is at Canton
in eastern McPherson county, where the elevation is 1,588 feet. The
general slope of the basin is to the east and south. The upper
reaches fall abruptly from the divide to elevations 150 feet lower

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