Irrigation Technology Initiative

Local Support Starts with Local Discussions

The five Western Kansas Groundwater Management Districts and the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Conservation are working together to provide assessments to help producers gain a better understanding of their water systems efficiency.

This approach will utilize practices and techniques chosen in consultation with partners such as the Kansas Water Office and experienced irrigation conservation engineers. In part, these practices and techniques were chosen to compliement practices proposed to be offered through the High Plains Aquifer RCPP project. State funding for the Irrigation Technology Initiative will be used to implement these assessments and evaluations for Kansas producers with land located within the boundaries of Kansas Groundwater Management Districts.

Prior to the assessment, producers will be asked to complete onboarding steps. Broken down into nine categories, these onboarding steps will help the technical providers gain a holistic understanding of the producer’s systems. Additionally, this will give the producer the opportunity to be more involved in this process and gain a better understanding of their systems.

What the Program Offers

  • Crop Uniformity Evaluation Package
  • Irrigation System Assessment

      Assessment Pillars

      PILLAR I: WELL EVALUATION

      Static Water Levels (SWL), Pumping Water Levels (PWL), Specific Capacity (GPM/Drawdown), well depth, drillers log, SWL at drilling, pump test available from drilling, location of the screens, location of pump

      PILLAR II: THE PUMP

      Flow Rate GPM, PWL, PSI at Discharge, Energy use per hour, Overall Efficiency

      PILLAR III: IRRIGATION SYSTEM

      Irrigation Package Design (i.e. WISH), test GPM and PSI, compare uniformity patterns

      PILLAR IV: IRRIGATION WATER MANAGEMENT

      Compare Et crop (irrigation + effective rainfall), spot check water budget, crop water budget (irrigation + effective rain), compare total irrigation (other fields and similar crops)

      Onboarding Steps

      GOOGLE EARTH ELEVATIONS

      Measure elevation at each well/pump, base of pivot, and at end tower.

      SPRINKLER PACKAGE DESIGN

      Design from WISH, V-Chart, Z-Chart or what applies to you.

      KANSAS GEOLOGICAL SURVEY DOCUMENTS

      Water Information Management and Analysis System (WIMAS), Water Well Completion Records (WWC5), Water Information Storage and Retrieval Database (WIZARD), or any other useful documents.

      PUMP DETAILS FROM AN INVOICE OR OTHERWISE

      Depth of well and pump intake, as well as pump assembly and design details.

      PSI/POSITION GRAPH

      Information from past and current years from AgSense, FieldNet, FieldWise, AP, or other. Desired location is the end tower.

      PRESSURE GAUGE ISOLATION VALVE ATTACHMENT

      At pump discharge, before/after each butterfly valve, and base of pivot or on riser.

      ANNUAL ENERGY USE FOR EACH PUMPING PLANT

      Midwest Energy Annual Water Use Report, diesel usage, natural gas usage, KWh total, money spent on energy total.

      YIELD MAP OF PREVIOUS YEAR

      Cropping for previous and current year.

      ACCESS TO WELL WATER LEVEL MEASUREMENT

      With sounder cable.

      How to Participate

      Onboarding Form (PDF)

      Contact Info: