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UUUti:;:\ 1 JANUARY 1986 WATER LEVELS, AND DATA RELATED TO WATER-LEVEL CHANGES, WESTERN AND SOUTH-CENTRAL KANSAS By B. J. Da9ue INTRODUCTION This report provides hydrologic data related to water-level measure- ments made in about 1,380 observation well s in western and south-central Kansas during January and February 1986. There are a total of 1,480 we 11 sin the monitori ng network that are measured annually by personnel from the Kansas' State Board of Agriculture and the U.S. Geological Survey. State-agency support for this cooperative effort is provided by the Kansas Geological Survey. This report also includes measurements made in cooperation with the Western Kansas Groundwater Management District No.1. Water-level measurements are made in midwinter of each year to mini- mize the effect of seasonal pumping for irrigation. However, a few water-l eve 1 measurements that are made in mi dwi nter of some years may reflect either the effects of recent pumping by the observation well or by nearby well s or the effects of barometric-pressure changes. Thus, a significant change in water levels for a particular well during a I-year period may represent only a temporary condition, and any indication of a developing trend should be based on a comparison of changes that occur over a period of several years. Hydrologic data in this report relate water-level changes from: (1) a "base-reference year" (predevelopment year), (2) a year of abnormally large amounts of rainfall and minimum pumpage (1966 or 1974), and (3) each of 7 consecutive years of measurement (1980-86). The "base-reference year" is desi gnated as 1940 for the southwestern area, 1944 for the south-central area, and 1950 for the northwestern, west-central, and Equus beds (Quaternary deposits) areas (fig. 1). Water levels for the "base-reference year" are establ i shed by measurements made duri ng that year and by i nterpretat i on of maps showi ng water-l evel altitudes. Depth to bedrock, used in computi ng saturated thickness of water-beari ng de- posits, are based on driller's logs, reported depths of wells, and interpretations of maps showing the altitude of the bedrock surface. Tables in the report show: (1) well number; (2) principal geologic unit; (3) land-surface altitude of well; (4) depth to bedrock; (5) depths to water during the base years of 1940, 1944, or 1950 (predevelopment years), duri ng the reference years of either 1966 or 1974, and duri ng each year from 1980 through 1986; (6) water-level changes from the base year and the reference year to 1986, and from 1985-86; (7) average annual water-level changes from the base year and reference year to 1986. Al so