Aug 17 2018 August 17, 2018 August 17, 2018 NoComment by Mike Callicrate

The Journal: The 150 Largest High Plains Aquifer Users in Kansas

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Sunflower Electric Power Corporation’s Holcomb, Kansas plant.

Aug 10, 2018

An article by Kansas Leadership Center

2005-17 (CUMULATIVE ACRE-FEET USED BY PERSONAL ID NUMBER)

Groundwater in the Ogallala Aquifer belongs to the people of Kansas, but the right to use it goes to irrigators who are putting it to uses considered to benefit the whole state.

This list of the largest 150 waters users of the High Plains Aquifer, which includes the Ogallala, is a who’s who of some the largest, most successful and most powerful agriculture-oriented ventures in Kansas. It includes cooperative utilities, land-holding companies, multinational food companies, family farm corporations, as well as municipal users such as the cities of Wichita, Liberal and Dodge City.

State law requires groundwater users to self-report annually how much water they are using from each of their wells. Records show that aquifer users pumped 37.3 million acre-feet total between 2005 and 2017, more water than can fit in Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir, near Las Vegas. One acre-foot is equal to 325,851 gallons of water.

The top 150 represent just 2 percent of all water permit users but consumed about 22 percent of all groundwater being drawn by the High Plains Aquifer over the past 13 years. The Journal is including this list because understanding who has the most at stake in dealing with the challenges facing aquifer is an important aspect of wrestling with the issue.

UPDATE: Read The Journal’s full story about the Ogallala Aquifer here: https://klcjournal.com/the-clock-is-ticking-on-dealing-with-western-kansas-drying-ogallala-aquifer

  1. WHEATLAND ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE INC – 384,136
  2. THE GARDEN CITY CO – 244,879
  3. CITY OF WICHITA – 240,471
  4. CIRCLE LAND & CATTLE CORPORATION – 197,905
  5. TYSON FRESH MEATS INC – 164,669
  6. SYRACUSE DAIRY LLC – 138,363
  7. TRIANGLE H GRAIN & CATTLE CO – 102,654
  8. RICHARD & SUSAN JAMES – 99,166
  9. CITY OF HUTCHINSON – 99,000
  10. GARY L BAKER – 97,156
  11. NICK R HATCHER – 93,653
  12. KENNETH COX – 91,167
  13. NICHOLAS FARMS INC – 88,755
  14. T L W LAND & CATTLE CO LP – 88,615
  15. DUANE E & KATHLEEN AKOSTER TRUSTS – 86,393
  16. HITCH LAND & CATTLE CO – 85,831
  17. SPRING CREEK FAMILY FARMS – 83,304
  18. EDNA E COLLINGWOOD TRUST – 83,066
  19. LAWRENCE D WITHERS – 81,672
  20. ROGER STOTTS – 79,251
  21. NATIONAL BEEF PACKING CO LLC – 77,278
  22. ROME FARMS – 74,227
  23. BROOKOVER LAND ENTERPRISES – 73,778
  24. TIMOTHY L & PATRICIA L DEWEY – 73,493
  25. PREMIER 4 FARMS – 73,437
  26. CIRCLE D FARMS LLC – 70,830
  27. IRSIK G & B FARMS INC – 70,633
  28. CITY OF LIBERAL – 69,853
  29. HATCHER LAND CO LP – 69,136
  30. CITY OF DODGE CITY – 65,933
  31. CITY OF GARDEN CITY – 64,596
  32. DAVID T WALKER – 64,062
  33. DONALD PAUL GREWELL – 63,731
  34. C L FARMS – 61,936
  35. TIM DEWEY FARM & CATTLE COMPANY – 61,303
  36. JAMES L & DARLA S MOSBARGER – 61,241
  37. CORLEY FARMS LC – 59,805
  38. ROCK ORMISTON – 57,892
  39. BRADNER A TATE – 57,814
  40. KENT DUNN – 57,400
  41. SUNFLOWER ELECTRIC POWER CORP – 56,766
  42. WILLIAM R & TERESA M COTTRELL JR – 56,741
  43. ARCH B & MICHELLE FRINK – 56,327
  44. TRI-STATE GENERATION & TRANSMISSION – 56,026
  45. WARREN F & SUSAN FOX – 55,961
  46. H & C FARMS INC – 55,798
  47. CARL LEATHERWOOD INC – 53,830
  48. JACOB W & SHIRLEY A ROENBAUGH – 53,593
  49. LAYNE ANGELL – 51,431
  50. JOHN D & CAROLYN K SMITH – 51,071
  51. LEWIS W WHEELER – 50,775
  52. DARRELL N & NATALIE D WOOD REV TRUSTS – 50,688
  53. CITY OF MCPHERSON – 50,504
  54. STRANDMARK FARMS INC – 49,563
  55. ROBERT J & PATRICIA M KNOLL – 48,908
  56. FRED L & KATHY R BLOOM – 48,352
  57. SHARP FARMS – 47,334
  58. FORD LAND COMPANY – 47,168
  59. W R RENICK INC – 46,821
  60. TRIPLE G FARMS ET AL – 46,492
  61. CLAWSON LAND PARTNERSHIP – 45,915
  62. HINES FARMS – 45,876
  63. WESTAR ENERGY – 45,342
  64. SMITH RANCH COMPANY INC – 44,957
  65. VERGIL E JOHNSON – 44,770
  66. MITCHELL FARMS – 44,045
  67. FLETCHER RANCH INC – 43,681
  68. ROGER L & LESLIE R STOTTS – 43,454
  69. CLAWSON HASKELL CO #1 – 43,183
  70. JOANN DOWDY FRANZ – 43,028
  71. DOUGLAS F & RENELL M BELL – 42,269
  72. TRI-STONE FARMS INC – 41,741
  73. DUANE LAMBERT – 41,699
  74. STAPLETON FARMS INC – 41,548
  75. BEYMER & BEYMER INC – 41,534
  76. GRAHAM FARMS INC – 41,367
  77. NATIONAL COOPERATIVE REFINERY ASSN – 40,999
  78. ALVA E REXFORD – 40,600
  79. FRED RITSEMA & YOKA RODENHUIS TRUSTS – 40,583
  80. FORREST COX – 40,504
  81. BOYD FARMS INC – 40,125
  82. HARLEY D & MARGARET R SCHMIDT – 40,093
  83. FARMERS NATIONAL COMPANY – 39,453
  84. GREGORY C & SUE LOVE – 39,104
  85. MARIETTA J NIGHTENGALE – 38,941
  86. GARETSON BROTHERS – 38,930
  87. BEST FARMS INC – 38,585
  88. GOETZ FARMS INC – 38,290
  89. RICHARDSON FARM INC – 38,203
  90. ROBERT L & SYLVIA D SELLARD – 38,150
  91. KURT A & SHEILA RUGAN – 37,877
  92. MILLER FARMS OF DEERFIELD INC – 37,759
  93. MID AMERICA CATTLE CO – 37,720
  94. RICHARD E & REBECCA SALLY CLAGGETT – 37,560
  95. LARRY A & ROMA ROEHR – 37,525
  96. FRAHM FARMLAND INC – 37,329
  97. MARSHALL P REEVE – 37,299
  98. JAMES L LIVENGOOD – 37,296
  99. CATTLE EMPIRE LLC – 36,959
  100. MULL INVESTMENTS LP – 36,947
  101. NEWPORT FARMS LLC – 36,700
  102. CLAWSON MEADE CO #4 – 36,599
  103. MARLIN & ERMA HEGER – 36,559
  104. ILS LAND LLC – 36,413
  105. HITCH ENTERPRISES INC – 36,392
  106. KLEYSTEUBER & GILLEN INC – 36,348
  107. JEFFREY J & SHARLEEN L UNRUH – 35,859
  108. GAYLE GREESON – 35,701
  109. BRENT L & JOAN K KOEHN – 35,685
  110. PHILLIP A DERSTEIN – 35,505
  111. HERITAGE FEEDERS LP – 35,206
  112. CLINTON RUSSELL – 35,058
  113. PARITY GRAIN INC – 34,449
  114. EUGENE L & JANET M SHORE – 34,444
  115. BLUE HOUSE FAMILY TRUST – 33,853
  116. PATRICK JOSSERAND & CYNTHIA JOSSERAND – 33,728
  117. WILLIAM WILEY MCFARLAND – 33,287
  118. CARL DUDREY – 33,274
  119. RON & CHERISSE JANTZ – 33,104
  120. WESTWIND FARMS INC – 32,918
  121. FRANK P DEVINE – 32,456
  122. DOUGLAS MILLS – 32,214
  123. CRAIG D & DONITA L FISHER – 32,195
  124. DWAYNE & VICKIE HULL – 32,104
  125. PARITY INVESTMENTS INC – 32,012
  126. ILS FARMS – 32,001
  127. TIMOTHY & CONNIE LIVENGOOD – 31,976
  128. MICHAEL OBRATE – 31,835
  129. B & B AG FARMS – 31,833
  130. CITY OF HAYS – 31,736
  131. REEVE CATTLE CO INC – 31,618
  132. RICKY R & LINDA R ROGERS TRUSTS – 31,598
  133. EDWARD R & REBECCA J SCHULTE – 31,591
  134. ROY WALKEMEYER – 31,438
  135. DON L & JEWEL NIGHTINGALE – 31,415
  136. DARLENE BROWN – 31,248
  137. BOB HUSBAND – 31,101
  138. M & G FARMS – 31,062
  139. JIM MCKEE – 31,026
  140. ERNESTINE E HOLMES LIFE ESTATE – 30,891
  141. THERON & CAROLYN CULWELL – 30,858
  142. JACK D & JANICE L BOEGEL – 30,597
  143. ROGER KELMAN – 30,561
  144. KAY BERGHAUS LIVING TRUST – 30,500
  145. FANSHER INC – 30,404
  146. TFT ALFALFA FARMS LLC – 30,283
  147. MIKE ROME JR – 30,256
  148. WALTER & ALBERTA REDGER LIVING TRUST – 30,084
  149. VENTURE LAND INC – 29,974
  150. CHARLES WHITHAM – 29,660

A version of this article was originally published in the Summer 2018 issue of The Journal, a publication of the Kansas Leadership Center. To learn more about KLC, visit http://kansasleadershipcenter.org. For a subscription to the printed edition of The Journal, visit klcjr.nl/amzsubscribe.

See also: Vice: Meathooked and End of Water – Examining the environmental harm of our meat addiction; assessing the depths of the world’s water crisis.