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.