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<br />-205- <br /> <br /> <br />c 0 ~~_ U :J 3 <br /> <br />CHAPTER 9 <br /> <br />KANSAS SUBBASIN <br /> <br />SUBBASIN DESCRIPTION <br /> <br />The Kansas Subbasin, lying along the southern edge of the <br />Missouri River Basin, encompasses about 38.9 million acres. As <br />shown in figure 12, the subbasin includes all of the land drained <br />from west to east by the Kansas River and its tributaries in <br />Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska. It has a maximum east-west width <br />of nearly 500 miles and a maximum north-south extent of about 220 <br />miles. Generally, the topography is gently rolling, punctuated <br />by scattered buttes, knobs, and level country. Elevations range <br />from 6,000 feet (mean sea level) in the Colorado high plains <br />downward to about 750 feet at the confluence of the Kansas and <br />Missouri Rivers at Kansas City. <br /> <br />The subbasin is dominated by agricultural land use. <br />Woodlands and forests border the major streams and rivers of the <br />subbasin and provide important habitat for wildlife and birds. <br />The subbasin's numerous manmade reservoirs and farm ponds provide <br />good quality warm water fisheries. Natural wetlands scattered <br />throughout the subbasin provide critical production areas for <br />waterfowl. <br /> <br />In 1975, the total human population of the Kansas Subbasin <br />was estimated to be 1.3 million. Urban residents constituted 62 <br />percent of the total and generally are concentrated toward the <br />eastern third of the subbasin. This component of the population <br />is projected to increase by more than 50 percent by the year <br />2000. In contrast, rural population is expected to decline due <br />to decreasing farm size and out-migration of rural youth. Nearly <br />