Who Owns Wells in Kansas? An Exploration of Rural Water Supply Reliance in the High Plains

Intense demands for irrigation water have consumed massive amounts of groundwater in Kansas, where the High Plains aquifer is being depleted. This study investigates the ownership of private water wells across the state and summarizes well owners' demographic information. My guiding research question is, Who are Kansas well owners? To answer this, I surveyed the demographics of well owners and non–well owners throughout Kansas (n = 864). The project controls for water supply infrastructure and exposes many differences among Kansans when assessing commonly studied demographics (sex, income, political affiliation, education, age, and geography). Kansas well owners appear to be wealthier, older, better-educated, and more politically conservative than their non–well-owning counterparts.