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<br /> <br />10. <br /> <br />INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />This report is the second in a series based .on studies of streamflow rec- <br />ords in Kansas. undertaken as a part of a cooperative program for water re- <br />sources investigations between the Kansas State Water Resources Board and <br />the U. S. Geological Survey. The first reportl evaluated the adequacy c!Ji <br />existing streamflow records and presented plans for several levels of o-pera-. <br />tion to obtain more adequate data at many additional sites. The report here- <br />in, using available records, presents curves showing th.e percent of time <br />that streamflow of a given magnitude, can be expected to occur at established <br />stations and develops methods of obtaining .s imilar information at ungaged <br />sites. Subsequent reports will present information on the frequency of oc- <br />currence of natural streamflow less than selected average rates for various <br />periods of time, the quantities of storage:needed on the various streams to <br />sustain selected rates of flow under varying drought conditions, and the pro- <br />portionate part of streamflow derived from ground water and its interrela- <br />tionship with surface-water supplies. <br /> <br />Streamflow is amost important resource of Kansas as it is vital to farms, <br />cities and industries. All too frequently a water supply proves inadequate to <br />maintain established operations and a threat of such recurring shortages can <br />discourage plans for economic dev'llopment. The total water supply cannot <br />be increased but it can be put to more efficient use. Every year, on the av- <br />erage, more than. 650 billion cubic feet of water flows out of Kansas, which <br />is sufficient to add another 9 inches of water on every harvested acre of land <br />or supply every residentof the statewith an additional 6,000 gallons per day. <br />Streamflow is not uniformly distributed in Kansas, and opportunities must be <br />seized where and when these supplies are available. Other factors being <br />equal, a reservoir in extreme we.stern Kansas would need to collect the run- <br />off from a bas in 10,000 square miles in area in order to equal the quantity <br />that could be collected from 100 square miles. in southeastern Kansas. It is <br />common knowledge that some streams go dry shortly after every rain and <br />others of similar size and vis ible appearance will flow perennially. However, <br />such general information is not sufficient to properly guide water resources <br />development plans. <br /> <br />Basic records of daily streamflow have been collected at gaging stations <br />throughout the State for periods of from 1 to 47 years. In all, more than <br />2,450 station years of daily discharges are now available. The logical solu- <br />tion o.f water problems requires the convers ion of these records of discharg.e <br />into forms that will readily and clearly express such factors as the expect- <br />ancy that a stream may supply a specific flow, the expected variation of that <br />flow, and the comparative yield of nearby streams. The enormity of the task <br /> <br />1 Furness, L. W., Development of a balanced stream-gaging program for Kansas, <br />Bulletin 4, Kansas Water Resources Board, March 1957. <br />