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.

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