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<br />2. <br /> <br />INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />This report is the second in a series of studies of Kansas streamflow <br />characteristics undertaken as part of cooperative programs for water re- <br />sources investigations between State of Kansas agencies and the U. S, Geo- <br />logical Survey, Technical Report number 1, in the seriesl, shows the per- <br />cent of time that streamflow of a given magnitude can be expected to occur. <br />The report herein presents curves that portray the frequency in which cer- <br />tain periods of consecutive flow may fall below various rates at established <br />gaging stations, Also presented are methods for estimating similar infor- <br />mation at ungaged sites. The third report2, evaluates the magnitude and fre- <br />quency of flood discharges. Future reports are proposed to delineate other <br />streamflow characteristics such as the amount of storage needed in the var- <br />ious streams to sustain selected rates of flow under various drought condi- <br />tions, the proportion of streamflow derived from ground water, and the in- <br />terrelationship of ground water with surface-water supplies. <br /> <br />Within a generation, Kansas has experienced two statewide droughts of <br />catastrophic intensity, The drought of 1953-57 is all too fresh in the minds <br />of farmers whose crops and livestock were lost for lack of water supplies, <br />industrialists whose water-using processes were curtailed, and city officials <br />who were faced with shortages in public supplies. Some cities had to use wa- <br />ter from stagnant river pools, tank cars, or even from retreated sewage ef- <br />fluent, <br /> <br />Little can be done to prevent the recurrence of droughts but much can be <br />done to alleviate their effects provided facts on their intensity, duration, and <br />frequency are known. This report presents such facts for Kansas streams <br />through the medium of frequency curves that delineate the severity of low <br />flows to be expected to recur at average intervals of 2 to 50 years so that <br />project designers can balance the cost of larger projects against expected <br />reduction in damages, The low-flow frequency characteristics are present- <br />ed as a family of curves for the following number of consecuti ve days of min- <br />imum flow: <br /> <br />(a) I, 7, 15, and 30 days for intermittent users or for those who <br />must depend on "run of the river" and minor storage above <br />channel dams. <br /> <br />(b) 60, 120, and 183 days for users concerned with seasonal car- <br />ryover, <br /> <br />1 <br />Furness, L, W" 1959, Kansas streamflow characteristics, pt. 1, Flow dura- <br />tion, Tech. rept. no. 1: Kansas Water Resources Board. <br /> <br />2 Ellis, D, W" and Edelen, G. W" 1960, Kansas streamflow characteristics, <br />pt. 3, Flood frequency, Tech. rept, no. 3: Kansas Water Resources Board, <br />