Laserfiche WebLink
<br />'0 0 1 G q '5 <br /> <br />KANSAS STREAMFLOW CHARACTERISTICS <br /> <br />PART 6B <br />BASE FLOW DISTRIBUTION <br /> <br />by L. W. Furness, C. V. Burns and M. W. Busby <br /> <br />ABSTRACT <br /> <br />The distribution or variable occurrence of base flow has been defined <br />at 105 sites on the streams of Kansas and adjoining areas. Methods have <br />also been developed for estimating base flow on other streams that drain <br />areas of 100 to 5,000 square miles. Base flow, as used in this report, is <br />that portion of total streamflow exclusive of direct surface runoff and con- <br />sists largely of ground-water contributions to the streams. Many farms, <br />industries, and cities rely on base flow for their dependable supplies of <br />water. Typical of streams in the mid-continent areas, the total streamflow <br />in Kansas is essentially that of base flow during 40 to 80 percent of the <br />days. Thus, knowledge of the distribution of base flow will help Kansans to <br />obtain optimum benefit from water resources. <br /> <br />Base flow averages less than one quarter of the total streamflow in <br />Kansas and varies from basin to basin because of individual basin charac- <br />teristics. Of the 105 basins studied, Smoky Hill River in northwestern Kan- <br />sas yields the least average base flow of 0.0012 cubic feet per second per <br />square mile (cfs per sq. mi.), and Shoal Creek near southeastern Kansas <br />yields the highest flow of 0.556 cfs per sq. mi. <br /> <br />The percent chance of base flow reaching certain quantities varies <br />from month to month, as shown by graphs and tables. For instance, on the <br />North Fork Smoky Hill River near McAllaster, Kans., there is a 95 percent <br />chance that base flow will exceed 0.0004 cfs per sq. mi. during March and <br />only a 30 percent chance that this same quantity will be exceeded during <br />August. <br /> <br />The range in expected base flow may vary considerably in the same <br />basin. For example, at Turkey Creek near Seneca, where the drainage <br />area is 276 sq. mi., the July base flow likely to be exceeded 5 percent of <br />the time (0.4 cfs per sq. mi.) is 570 times greater than that likely to be ex- <br />ceeded 95 percent of the time. Downstream at Falls City, where the drain- <br />age area is 1,340 sq. mi., the 5 percent exceedance value for July base flow <br />(0.23 cfs per sq. mi.) is only 23 times greater than the 95 percent value. <br /> <br />1 <br />