Township 31S Range 26W

30 of the 36 sections here carry both measurements. The median section has fallen 21.3 ft since the aquifer was developed, against 18.2 ft across the whole surface.

36Sections

30Measured

21.3 ftMedian change

MeadeCounty

What has happened in township 31S26W

Median depth went from 82.8 ft before development to 111.5 ft — a change of 21.3 ft, over 30 of 36 sections. Deeper: 24. Shallower: 6. Sharpest fall, section 02 at 69.2 ft; largest rise, section 35 at 47.6 ft.

Why some sections have risen.

Section by section

Township 31S Range 26W — depth to water before the aquifer was developed, against the 2022–2024 surface, in feet below ground. A plus sign means the water is deeper than it was; a minus sign means it is shallower. A dash means one of the two is missing; ≥ marks a change computed from a figure floored at ground level.
Sec.	Before	2022–24	Change
01	—	153.8 ft	—
02	77.2 ft	146.4 ft	+69.2
03	75.7 ft	142.9 ft	+67.3
04	51.2 ft	103.7 ft	+52.5
05	26.5 ft	57.2 ft	+30.7
06	21.6 ft	42.9 ft	+21.3
07	22.7 ft	51.0 ft	+28.3
08	32.3 ft	69.0 ft	+36.6
09	64.4 ft	119.5 ft	+55.1
10	81.7 ft	142.9 ft	+61.1
11	74.8 ft	137.4 ft	+62.6
12	—	139.6 ft	—
13	—	120.2 ft	—
14	82.8 ft	126.3 ft	+43.5
15	93.2 ft	134.9 ft	+41.7
16	76.1 ft	116.1 ft	+39.9
17	55.7 ft	86.9 ft	+31.2
18	37.2 ft	63.8 ft	+26.6
19	78.4 ft	99.1 ft	+20.7
20	88.2 ft	108.6 ft	+20.4
21	110.4 ft	126.8 ft	+16.4
22	117.0 ft	122.6 ft	+5.6
23	105.3 ft	107.3 ft	+2.0
24	—	94.5 ft	—
25	—	62.6 ft	—
26	116.8 ft	75.3 ft	−41.5
27	137.1 ft	99.3 ft	−37.8
28	116.9 ft	116.2 ft	−0.8
29	105.6 ft	118.1 ft	+12.4
30	94.9 ft	111.5 ft	+16.5
31	102.1 ft	116.0 ft	+13.9
32	102.8 ft	111.7 ft	+8.8
33	99.0 ft	94.4 ft	−4.6
34	102.3 ft	68.5 ft	−33.9
35	82.5 ft	34.9 ft	−47.6
36	—	56.3 ft	—

How to read a depth-to-water figure.

Who has drilled in township 31S range 26W

87 wells in township 31S range 26W have a completion record. Busiest driller: Bartel Well Drilling, INC, 20. Oldest record, 1975. Median well 172.0 ft deep.

Sunk for monitoring well/observation/piezometer (36), domestic (30), domestic, livestock (14), irrigation (4).

What a WWC-5 record covers.

Who filed well completion records in township 31S range 26W, busiest first. The last column is the median depth those wells were drilled to — a driller’s own record of how far down the water was.
Driller of record	Wells	Years	Median depth	Median water level
Bartel Well Drilling, INC	20	1976–2018	175.0 ft	90.0 ft
Coranco Great Plains, INC	16	2007–2008	18.0 ft	10.4 ft
Terracon, INC	14	1991–1992	20.0 ft	12.4 ft
Audie L. Thornburg Contract Dewatering, INC	5	2001	20.0 ft	11.4 ft
Sw Windmill & Ww Srvc	4	2022–2025	202.0 ft	73.0 ft
Carl Hayse Water Well Service	3	1998–2008	172.0 ft	84.0 ft
Henkle Drilling & Supply Co. INC	3	1975–1976	215.0 ft	120.0 ft
Jantzen Water Well	3	2011–2022	190.0 ft	95.0 ft
Cornie Friesen Windmill and Supply CO	2	1977–1984	184.0 ft	80.0 ft
Crowdis Ww Srvc	2	2022	181.0 ft	80.0 ft
Minter-wilson Drlg. Co., INC	2	1984–1987	235.0 ft	30.0 ft
Reuben Bartel Well Drilling, INC	2	2001	145.0 ft	116.0 ft
Well Owner	2	1995	137.0 ft	86.0 ft
Bernard E. Carlile Water Well Service, INC	1	1977	220.0 ft	115.0 ft
Dan Hayse Water Well Service	1	2004	140.0 ft	38.0 ft
Dunham Drilling, INC	1	2014	150.0 ft	47.0 ft
James C. Houser	1	1991	100.0 ft	80.0 ft
Jantzen Water Well LLC	1	2024	200.0 ft	127.0 ft
Layne-christensen CO	1	1984	25.0 ft	9.0 ft
Pratt Well Service, INC	1	2007	25.2 ft	9.1 ft
Southwest Windmill	1	1997	0.0 ft	0.0 ft
Southwest Windmill and Water Well Service, INC	1	2011	212.0 ft	131.0 ft

Wells by decade drilled, with the median depth reached and the median water level the driller measured on arrival.
Decade	Wells	Median depth	Median level
1970s	7	193.0 ft	102.0 ft
1980s	8	160.0 ft	73.0 ft
1990s	24	25.0 ft	15.1 ft
2000s	33	20.0 ft	11.6 ft
2010s	6	200.0 ft	111.0 ft
2020s	9	181.0 ft	80.0 ft

What the wells were sunk for, and how deep each purpose went.
Purpose	Wells	Median depth
Monitoring well/observation/piezometer	36	19.2 ft
Domestic	30	165.0 ft
Domestic, Livestock	14	181.0 ft
Irrigation	4	215.0 ft
Public Water Supply	1	235.0 ft
Oil Field Water Supply	1	220.0 ft
Environmental Remediation, Recovery	1	24.2 ft

The ten deepest wells on record in township 31S range 26W, by the depth the driller reached. The water level is the one measured on arrival, which is a reading at a point — unlike the surface figures above. The first column is the WWC-5 record number.
Record	Year	Depth	Water level	Purpose	Driller
419905	2008	260.0 ft	84.0 ft	Domestic	Carl Hayse Water Well Service
39386	1984	235.0 ft	30.0 ft	Public Water Supply	Minter-wilson Drlg. Co., INC
451877	2011	225.0 ft	111.0 ft	Domestic	Jantzen Water Well
39490	1976	222.0 ft	132.0 ft	Irrigation	Henkle Drilling & Supply Co. INC
39492	1977	220.0 ft	115.0 ft	Oil Field Water Supply	Bernard E. Carlile Water Well Service, INC
305722	1999	216.0 ft	70.0 ft	Domestic	Bartel Well Drilling, INC
39489	1975	215.0 ft	100.0 ft	Irrigation	Henkle Drilling & Supply Co. INC
100200	1995	214.0 ft	119.0 ft	Domestic	Bartel Well Drilling, INC
447974	2011	212.0 ft	131.0 ft	Domestic	Southwest Windmill and Water Well Service, INC
381209	2006	210.0 ft	98.0 ft	Domestic	Bartel Well Drilling, INC

Buying or drilling in township 31S range 26W?

The median section here has moved 21.3 ft. What that means for one quarter section takes someone on the ground. Tell us where; we pass the request on.

We are nobody's agent and have no arrangement with any firm today. What we do with this.

This township sits in Far western Kansas. Meade County, on 100 % of 87 well filings — inferred, not given.

Townships with a comparable number of sections

29S10W 0.0 ft
24S18W 14.5 ft
30S10W -3.0 ft
16S25W 0.0 ft
29S42W 114.7 ft
32S18W -137.2 ft
29S13W 2.9 ft
10S26W -15.2 ft
31S18W -89.3 ft
23S17W 11.2 ft
28S27W 77.1 ft
29S14W 1.7 ft
19S13W 2.3 ft

Neighbours by the count of measured sections, not a ranking: the list slides with the township, so each of the 256 township pages is reachable from the others. All of them.