2020 Kansas Harmful Algal Bloom Stakeholders’ Meeting January 22, 2020
Kansas Rivers and Streams: Reflections on 2019 that was...
Tony Stahl, Environmental Program Administrator Bureau of Water, Watershed Planning
Our Mission: To protect and improve the health and environment of all Kansans. Outline Kansas River and Streams: Reflections on 2019 that was...
• Provide a brief overview of the stream chemistry monitoring network and observed flows (and over the last decade).
• Provide a brief overview of select water quality parameters (sediment, phosphorus, and nitrogen), ranking their mean concentrations (1 lowest; 10 highest) over the last decade, partitioned by the 12 major river basins in Kansas.
• Highlight some of the observed impacts and benefits of the high flow events (2019).
Our Mission: To protect and improve the health and environment of all Kansans. Stream Chemistry Monitoring Stations
Our Mission: To protect and improve the health and environment of all Kansans. Statewide Flow Observations
Qualitative Flow Observations 80.0
70.0
60.0
50.0
40.0
30.0
20.0
10.0
0.0 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 %Abv Avg to High %Average %Blw Avg to Low %pooled %dry
Our Mission: To protect and improve the health and environment of all Kansans. Major River Basins in Kansas
Our Mission: To protect and improve the health and environment of all Kansans. Water Quality: Sediment (TSS)
Year Basin Mean (mg/L) Max (mg/L) Decade Rank 2012 Cimarron 11 25 1 2012 Kansas/Lower Republican 48 796 1 Mean Total Suspended Solids 2012 Lower Arkansas River 22 93 1 2016 Marais des Cygnes 24 130 1 2019 Rank / Last Decade 2018 Missouri 18 80 1 2014 Neosho 19 70 1 Cimarron River Basin 2012 Smoky/Saline 41 468 1 2017 Solomon 44 180 1 Kansas/Lower Republican River Basin 2012 Upper Arkansas 15 84 1 Lower Arkansas River Basin 2013 Upper Republican 16 35 1 2013 Verdigris 18 49 1 Marais des Cygnes Basin 2014 Walnut 22 50 1 Missouri Basin
Year Basin Mean (mg/L) Max (mg/L) Decade Rank Neosho Basin 2016 Cimarron 34 110 10 Smoky/Saline River Basin 2011 Kansas/Lower Republican 178 2672 10 2010 Lower Arkansas River 109 965 10 Solomon Basin 2010 Marais des Cygnes 101 560 10 2019 Missouri 310 3000 10 Upper Arkansas River Basin 2010 Neosho 130 2440 10 Upper Republican River Basin 2019 Smoky/Saline 244 2700 10 2016 Solomon 214 2400 10 Verdigris River Basin 2010 Upper Arkansas River 162 2230 10 Walnut River Basin 2015 Upper Republican 151 1600 10 2016 Verdigris 158 1300 10 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 2019 Walnut 224 1100 10 Desirable range: 10 - 50 mg/L
Our Mission: To protect and improve the health and environment of all Kansans. Water Quality: Nutrient (TP)
Year Basin Mean (mg/L Max (mg/L) Decade Rank 2018 Cimarron 0.04 0.14 1 2017 Kansas/Lower Republican 0.30 1.10 1 Mean Total Phosphorus 2016 Lower Arkansas 0.29 2.00 1 2019 Rank / Decade 2016 Marais des Cygnes 0.11 0.33 1 2016 Missouri 0.28 0.89 1 2014 Neosho 0.16 1.00 1 Cimarron River Basin 2017 Smoky/Saline River 0.18 1.00 1 Kansas/Lower Republican River Basin 2017 Solomon 0.22 0.74 1 2011 Upper Arkansas River 0.15 0.45 1 Lower Arkansas River Basin 2017 Upper Republican River 0.30 1.30 1 2019 Verdigris River 0.06 0.16 1 Marais des Cygnes Basin 2014 Walnut River 0.15 0.27 1 Missouri Basin
Year Basin Mean (mg/L Max (mg/L) Decade Rank Neosho Basin 2015 Cimarron 0.35 4.00 10 Smoky/Saline River Basin 2014 Kansas/Lower Republican 0.44 1.80 10 2012 Lower Arkansas 0.37 2.79 10 Solomon Basin 2010 Marais des Cygnes 0.19 0.54 10 2014 Missouri 0.63 2.90 10 Upper Arkansas River Basin 2012 Neosho 0.24 0.82 10 Upper Republican River Basin 2013 Smoky/Saline River 0.40 4.39 10 2016 Solomon 0.50 2.80 10 Verdigris River Basin 2010 Upper Arkansas River 0.32 1.85 10 Walnut River Basin 2015 Upper Republican River 0.51 2.10 10 2012 Verdigris River 0.24 1.88 10 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 2010 Walnut River 0.30 0.84 10 Desirable range: 0.07 – 0.1 mg/L
Our Mission: To protect and improve the health and environment of all Kansans. Water Quality: Nutrient (TN)
Year Basin Mean (mg/L Max (mg/L) Decade Rank 2014 Cimarron 0.65 1.48 1 Mean Total Nitrogen 2012 Kansas/Lower Republican 1.78 11.12 1 2016 Lower Arkansas 1.89 4.90 1 2019 Rank / Decade 2019 Marais des Cygnes 0.93 1.71 1 2011 Missouri 3.84 7.98 1 2016 Neosho 1.20 3.11 1 Cimarron River Basin 2017 Smoky/Saline 1.47 8.35 1 Kansas/Lower Republican River Basin 2017 Solomon 1.52 3.10 1 2012 Upper Arkansas 1.66 3.73 1 Lower Arkansas River Basin 2017 Upper Republican 1.32 2.60 1 2019 Verdigris River 0.73 1.33 1 Marais des Cygnes Basin 2012 Walnut 1.24 2.98 1 Missouri Basin
Year Basin Mean (mg/L) Max (mg/L) Decade Rank Neosho Basin 2011 Cimarron 1.47 6.99 10 Smoky/Saline River Basin 2014 Kansas/Lower Republican 2.40 10.81 10 2010 Lower Arkansas 2.73 10.38 10 Solomon Basin 2010 Marais des Cygnes 1.37 2.86 10 Upper Arkansas River Basin 2014 Missouri 4.64 14.52 10 2011 Neosho 1.51 4.35 10 Upper Republican River Basin 2012 Smoky/Saline 2.12 16.21 10 2016 Solomon 2.17 8.19 10 Verdigris River Basin 2010 Upper Arkansas 3.05 10.05 10 Walnut River Basin 2012 Upper Republican 1.89 3.21 10 2012 Verdigris 1.65 17.22 10 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 2010 Walnut 2.17 3.33 10 Desirable range: 0.8 – 1.5 mg/L.
Our Mission: To protect and improve the health and environment of all Kansans. Streambank Erosion Impacts 8/19/2019 8/20/2019 9/17/2019
Vermillion Creek at Onaga Solomon River at Niles Little Arkansas River at Alta Mills Examples of where there was increased water volume/velocities triggering natural processes that cause streambank erosion.
Our Mission: To protect and improve the health and environment of all Kansans. Streambank Erosion Impacts 8/20/2019 8/20/2019
Example of exposed tree roots; a common occurrence statewide in 2019. These photos taken at Soldier Creek near Circleville.
Our Mission: To protect and improve the health and environment of all Kansans. Stream Sediments Impacts
11/19/2019 11/19/2019
Example of in-channel sediments mobilized from the bed and banks, uplands, and tribs. Photo taken at the South Fork Solomon River, Woodston Diversion Dam
Our Mission: To protect and improve the health and environment of all Kansans. Aquatic Life Impacts
The effects of flooding on aquatic and flood-plain ecosystems can have both negative and positive impacts. A negative impact (a significant fishkill) occurred (August 12, 2019) when fish became trapped in the receding floodplain waters along the Missouri River (north of White Cloud, Doniphan Co).
Our Mission: To protect and improve the health and environment of all Kansans. Infrastructure Impacts
7/23/2019 11/25/2019
Example of how damaging to roads and bridges…
Our Mission: To protect and improve the health and environment of all Kansans. Republican River (Clay Co.)
5/20/2019 8/19/2019 11/4/2019
Example of the flood duration in parts of Kansas...
Our Mission: To protect and improve the health and environment of all Kansans. Anecdotal Observations
Farmers were prevented or delayed in planting of their crops due to excessive rainfall and flooding (fall 2018); and, again in the spring through the summer months (2019).
Elevated stream flows persisted into October, November, and December (2019) suggesting there was considerable groundwater recharge (i.e., raising groundwater levels).
Our Mission: To protect and improve the health and environment of all Kansans. Questions
Our Mission: To protect and improve the health and environment of all Kansans. www.kdheks.gov
Our Mission: To protect and improve the health and environment of all Kansans.