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<br />-207- <br /> <br /> <br />(\ fJ'i ii 'i4 <br />L.._ ..1_ ',,' , .., <br /> <br />half of the subbasin's population resides in the area's two <br />Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Kansas City and Topeka. <br />An estimated 2,200 native American Indians live in the Kansas <br />subbasin. <br /> <br />Most of the economic activity in the subbasin is related to <br />agriculture, although refining and processing of fuels is gaining <br />importance in the western areas. Major dryland crops are winter <br />wheat, grain sorghum, and corn; irrigated acreage is mostly in <br />corn, alfalfa, and sugar beets. Beef cattle and hogs are the <br />principal livestock products. <br /> <br />Water availability is highly variable across the Kansas <br />Subbasin. Most streams are subject to severe seasonal <br />fluctuations in flows. Exceptions are stream reaches regulated <br />by reservoir releases and those in the extreme eastern portion of <br />the subbasin, where precipitation is greatest. <br /> <br />Ground water is abundant in most stream alluvia and also in <br />the vast Ogallala aquifer underlying the western third of the <br />area. However, ground water pumping for irrigation is causing <br />severe localized declines of ground water levels. <br /> <br />The major water use is for crop irrigation, comprising over <br />90 percent of withdrawals and consumptive use. Federal <br />reservoirs play an important role in providing water supplies for <br />irrigation systems and municipalities.. <br /> <br />Water quality of the subbasin's streams and rivers is fair. <br />Seasonal degradation occurs due to runoff from agricultural lands <br />and when low flows cause increases in naturally occurring mineral <br />concentrations. Ground water is generally hard, but the quality <br />is adequate for most uses. <br /> <br />Two of the subbasin's major streams, the Republican River <br />and the Big Blue River, are subject to interstate compacts. The <br />Republican River Interstate Compact allocates waters among <br />Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska based upon the computed annual <br />supply under natural conditions. Under the Big Blue River <br />compact, Nebraska guarantees specified minimum flows in the Big <br />Blue and Little Blue Rivers entering Kansas. <br /> <br />The three Kansas Subbasin States for the most part adhere to <br />the system of prior appropriation in determining water allocation <br />for beneficial uses. Beneficial uses are specifically defined in <br />all three States, and generally include domestic, municipal, and <br />