Reservoir by Reservoir

The Flood Control Act of 1962 authorized the building of Big Hill Lake in Labette County, Kansas. Construction started on April 15, 1974, and the project was completed for full flood control operation in March 1981. The conservation pool was filled to elevation on May 14, 1983. The lake was constructed to control flooding, municipal and industrial water supply, recreation, fish and wildlife benefits.

Big Hill Lake is part of the Verdigris River Basin and water is directly withdrawn for public water supply.

Located on the Smoky Hill River at river mile 333.7, in Trego County, 18 miles southwest of Ellis is Cedar Bluff Reservoir. The Cedar Bluff watershed includes portions of Trego, Gove, Logan, Wallace, Greeley, Scott, Lane, Sherman, Thomas and Wichita counties in western Kansas. Originally authorized for irrigation, flood control, and water supply, with incidental benefits for recreation, fish and wildlife, and water quality. In 1992 Congress reformulated the Cedar Bluff Reservoir project through the Bureau of Reclamation to create an operating pool for fish, wildlife and recreation. Irrigation was abandoned and the irrigation district was dissolved.

After the Cedar Bluff Irrigation District disbanded, a ‘designated operating pool’ was established for Cedar Bluff Reservoir and includes the following suballocation pools: the City of Russell’s original water storage right, which remained unchanged; an artificial recharge pool under control of the Kansas Water Office; and a fish, wildlife and recreation pool under control of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. The designated operating pool consists of water stored between the dead pool and elevation 2109.05 feet. A ‘joint-use pool’ has been established between the operating pool and the flood control pool for water supply, flood control and environmental and recreation purposes. Water rights for the joint-use pool are held jointly between the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and the Kansas Water Office.

Public Law 86-787 authorized the Cheney Division on September 14, 1960, by act of Congress, (74 Stat. 1026). Construction of Cheney Dam began in 1962, and was completed in 1965.

Cheney Dam is on the North Fork of the Ninnescah River about 6 miles north of Cheney and 24 miles west of Wichita, Kansas. The site is at the common intersection of the boundaries of Kingman, Reno, and Sedgwick Counties, with portions of the dam lying in all three. The City of Wichita constructed and operates a 93-cubic-foot-per-second pumping plant at the dam which conveys municipal water through a 5-foot-diameter pipeline to the water treatment plant in the city.

The project provides storage and delivery of a supplemental municipal and industrial water supply to the City of Wichita, Kansas. Cheney Dam and Reservoir provide storage and regulation of available surface waters of the North Fork of Ninnescah River. A pumping plant located at the dam and a 5-foot-diameter pipeline were constructed by the City of Wichita for conveying the regulated flows from Cheney Dam to the water treatment facilities.

Storage began at Cheney Dam with closure of the river outlet works gates on November 5, 1964. Delivery of municipal and industrial water to the City of Wichita began in the summer of 1965. Operation and maintenance of Government constructed project facilities by the City of Wichita began October 1, 1965. The conservation storage in Cheney Reservoir gradually increased until it was filled in October 1968.

Clinton Lake, located in Douglas County was planned, designed, constructed and is managed by the USACE, as well as the City of Lawrence. Construction of Clinton Lake was finished in 1975 and was completed at a cost of $55 million. Impoundment began on November 30, 1977, yet the conservation pool was reached in 1980. To improve fishing potential, the lake was filled slowly over a three-year period. In April 1981, the lake began multipurpose operations.

The lake was constructed to control flooding, municipal and industrial water supply, recreation, fish and wildlife benefits and maintain minimum streamflow on the Wakarusa and Kansas Rivers. Clinton Lake is part of the Kansas River Basin and is operated for public water supply and streamflow support of the Wakarusa River.

The Flood Control Act of 1950 authorized the building of Council Grove Dam and Lake. The effects of a flood in 1951 further demonstrated the need for the project, and the Tulsa District of the USACE began construction in June of 1960. The reservoir became functional in October of 1964. Council Grove Lake is located in Morris County and was completed at a total cost of $11.5 million.

Council Grove Lake is part of the Neosho River Basin and is operated for streamflow support and public water supply as a system with Marion Reservoir and John Redmond Reservoir. The Council Grove Lake reservoir is impounded at its southeastern end by Council Grove Dam. The reservoir consists of two arms: a western arm whose primary inflow is the Neosho River from the northwest and an eastern arm whose primary inflow is Munkers Creek from the northeast.

The history of Butler County and the City of El Dorado revolves largely around ranching, railroads and oil production. Construction on El Dorado Lake was started in 1973 and completed in 1981. During its construction, the present lake incorporated two smaller lakes that were already in existence, Bluestem Lake and the old El Dorado Lake. The old El Dorado Lake was completely inundated by the new, larger lake but the dam of Bluestem Lake was breached, and the remnants of that dam can still be seen on the Shady Creek arm of the lake.

El Dorado Lake is part of the Upper Arkansas River Basin and water is directly withdrawn for public water supply. El Dorado Lake lies in the Flint Hills in southcentral Kansas. The USACE has licensed the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism to develop and manage 4,000 acres of land around the reservoir, as well as boating on the reservoir surface.

Located in Montgomery County, Kansas, Elk City Lake was planned, designed, constructed and is managed by The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Construction began in 1962 and the project was completed for full flood control operation in March 1966. Ultimate development was initiated on February 1, 1977, when the conservation pool changed elevation.

The lake was constructed to control flooding, municipal and industrial water supply, recreation, fish and wildlife benefits as well as water quality.

Located in Greenwood County, Kansas, Fall River Lake was planned, designed, constructed and is managed by The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Flood Control Act approved authorization of the Fall River Lake. The project was completed for full flood control operation in April 1949.

Fall River Lake is part of the Verdigris River Basin and is operated for streamflow support and public water supply as a system with Toronto Lake and Elk City Lake. When the county was officially organized in 1862, a 10-mile wide strip of the Osage Indian Reservation was included within its boundary. After the Osage were relocated to Indian Territory, these lands were placed in trust with the federal government.

Glen Elder (Waconda) Lake provides a high degree of flood protection to the lower Solomon River Valley and, when operated in conjunction with other basin reservoirs, contributes effectively to the control of flooding on the lower Smoky Hill and Kansas Rivers. Purchases of rights-of-way started in June 1963, with work on the dam and reservoir and appurtenant structures beginning in November 1964. Work on the dam was completed in January 1969.

Glen Elder (Waconda) Lake also provides municipal and industrial water for Beloit, Kansas, on the Solomon River about 12 miles downstream, and three rural water districts; together with recreation, fish and wildlife conservation, and water quality benefits.

Today, the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism operate Hillsdale Lake under the State Park system. There are no U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-managed campgrounds.

Construction of Hillsdale Lake was completed at a cost of $61 million. Hillsdale Lake was authorized by Congress in 1954 as part of a comprehensive flood control plan for the Osage and Missouri River Basins. Construction of Hillsdale Lake began in 1976 and was completed in 1982. In 1989, 12,880 acres of land and water was leased to the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism for recreation and wildlife management purposes.

Hillsdale Lake is part of the Marais des Cygnes River Basin and is operated for public water supply and streamflow support as a system with Pomona Lake and Melvern Lake. Hillsdale Lake is a reservoir located in the northwestern part of Miami County in northeast Kansas; it is approximately 30 miles from Kansas City. It provides millions of gallons of water each day to residential and municipal users. The lake improves water quality downstream and provides recreation.

Located in Coffey County, construction of the John Redmond Reservoir cost $29 million. In 1958, Congress renamed it John Redmond Dam and Reservoir after the Burlington Daily Republican’s publisher. One of the first to champion the causes of flood control and water conservation along the Neosho River, Mr. Redmond’s work along these lines continued from the early 1920s until his death.

John Redmond Reservoir is part of the Neosho River Basin and is operated for streamflow support and public water supply as a system with Marion Lake and Council Grove Lake. This water also serves as a vital water supply source for Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant. John Redmond Reservoir lies in a broad, flat valley along the eastern edges of the gently rolling Flint Hills.

Kanopolis Lake was the first reservoir built in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Kansas City District which continues to oversee it to the present day. The Flood Control Act of 1938 authorized the construction of Kanopolis Dam and Lake. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began work in June 1940; the outbreak of World War II, however, led to a suspension of the project in 1942. Storage of water in the reservoir began February 17, 1948. Construction was completed later that year.

Kanopolis Lake is part of the Smoky Hill River Basin and is operated for streamflow support and public water supply. A portion of the lake storage is used to provide water to Post Rock Rural Water District, which in turn, supplies many Kansas farms and communities. The reservoir is impounded at its southeastern end by Kanopolis Dam. The Smoky Hill River is both the reservoir’s primary inflow from the northwest and outflow to the southeast. Kansas Highway 141 runs generally north-south along the reservoir’s eastern shore and across the top of Kanopolis Dam.

Kirwin Reservoir, on the North Fork of the Solomon River near Kirwin, Kansas, was completed in August 1955. The dam is a rolled earthfill structure, with a structural height of 169 feet and a crest length of 12,646 feet. About 9,537,000 cubic yards of earth and rock and 44,000 cubic yards of concrete were used in constructing the dam, spillway, and outlet works. The initial capacity of the reservoir was 314,550 acre-feet; 89,650 for irrigation, 215,115 for flood control, and the remainder for dead storage. A concrete spillway on the right abutment of the dam can discharge 96,000 cubic feet per second of water at the maximum water surface elevation 1,773 ft. Fifteen gated sluiceways, discharging through the bottom of the overflow section into the spillway chute, are used primarily to make controlled releases of floodwaters.

Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), the first national wildlife refuge in Kansas, was established in 1954 as an overlay project on a Bureau of Reclamation irrigation and flood control reservoir at Kirwin. The Bureau of Reclamation owns the land and controls reservoir water levels while the Refuge staff from the Fish and Wildlife Service manages all other activities on the land and water. The reservoir and refuge are open 24 hours.

The outlet works through the dam acts as a canal and river outlet. Both releases are made from a stilling well located near the downstream side of the dam. The capacity of the canal outlet is 175 cubic feet per second, and the capacity of the river outlet is 100 cubic feet per second

Lovewell Reservoir is on the White Rock Creek 3 miles northwest of Lovewell, Kansas. The reservoir stores water from White Rock Creek and diversions from the Republican River by way of the Courtland Canal. The dam is a 3-million-cubic-yard earthfill structure, 8,500 feet long, with a height-of-embankment 81 feet above streambed. The total capacity of the reservoir is 92,150 acre-feet, of which 24,930 is allocated for conservation, 50,460 acre-feet for flood control, and the remainder for inactive and dead capacity.

The dam and reservoir are part of the Bureau of Reclamation’s Bostwick Division. The Bostwick Division is in south-central Nebraska and north-central Kansas. It extends from Orleans, Nebraska, above Harlan County Lake, to Norway, Kansas, and includes land on both sides of the Republican River. The reservoir, lake, and surrounding lands of the division provide benefits for flood control, irrigation, sediment control, fish and wildlife enhancement, and recreation.

Located in Marion County, Marion Reservoir was designed and built under the supervision of the Tulsa District USACE at a cost of $13.6 million. The lake is one of three projects constructed for flood management and low-flow regulation for the upper Grand (Neosho) River Valley. Marion Reservoir was placed in full flood control operation in February 1968.

Marion Reservoir is part of the Neosho River Basin and is operated for streamflow support and public water supply as a system with Council Grove Lake and John Redmond Reservoir. Located on the Cottonwood River, a tributary of the Grand (Neosho) River.

Located in Osage County, Kansas. Melvern Lake and Dam was under construction for five years at a total cost of $37.4 million. The dam was completed in 1970, and the reservoir was completely filled in 1975. The dam impounds the Marais des Cygnes River, notorious for its destructive flooding. Melvern Lake has prevented approximately $22.1 million in downstream flood damages

The Melvern Project consists of 23,362 acres of federal-owned lands. The lake itself comprises 6,930 acres. The remaining acreage has been devoted to park development and wildlife management. Melvern Lake is a key unit in the system of flood damage reduction projects within the Marais des Cygnes River Basin. It is also part of the network of lakes that provide flood damage reduction on the Osage, Missouri and Mississippi Rivers.

Milford Lake was authorized by Congress in 1954 and constructed by the USACE in the early 1960s. Milford Lake began operations in 1967 and has since prevented over $1.2 billion in flood damages. Milford Lake’s cost was just under $50 million.

Milford Lake has 15,700 surface acres of water and 163 miles of shoreline, making it the largest reservoir in Kansas. Milford Lake is located on the Republican River about 10 miles above the confluence of the Republican and Smoky Hill Rivers. Located on Highway 57, Milford Lake is four miles northwest of Junction City and 25 miles southeast of Clay Center on Highway 77.

Milford Lake is part of the Kansas River Basin and is operated for streamflow support and public water supply as a system with Tuttle Creek Lake and Perry Lake. Additionally, Milford Lake Wetlands were constructed in 2001 for $5 million.

The Norton (Keith Sebelius) Lake is about 2.5 miles upstream from Norton, Kansas. Water is released from Norton (Keith Sebelius) Lake for the municipal needs of Norton. Releases for irrigation purposes can be diverted by Almena Diversion Dam, about 11 miles downstream from Norton (Keith Sebelius) Lake.

Construction of Norton (Keith Sebelius) Lake was started in December 1961 and completed in December 1964. The reservoir is operated and maintained by the Bureau of Reclamation. The reservoir operation is integrated with that of other reservoirs in the Kansas River Basin. The Corps of Engineers furnishes the operational procedures for regulation of water stored in the flood control pool. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism administers the reservoir water surface and wildlife lands above the dam, and the recreation areas are administered by the Kansas State Park and Resources Authority. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism also assumes responsibility for the administration of the water surface and wildlife lands above Almena Diversion Dam.

Perry Lake is located in Jefferson County, Kansas, and has prevented more than $5 billion in flood damages since it began operation in 1970. Total cost of construction was $49 million. Congress authorized the construction of Perry Lake with passage of the River and Harbors Act in 1954. In order to create Perry Lake, a dam constructed of rolled earthen fill was built to impound the Delaware River. Construction progressed throughout the 1960s, with a final dedication in 1969 and full operation in 1970.

Perry Lake is part of the Kansas River Basin and is operated for streamflow support and public water supply as a system with Tuttle Creek Lake and Milford Lake. Perry Lake is located about 40 miles west of Kansas City, just northwest of Lawrence, Kansas. Its close proximity to Kansas City, Lawrence and Topeka make it a very popular destination with the nickname “Paradise on the Plains.” When filled to maximum capacity, it has a surface area of 42,656 acres.

Construction of Pomona Lake and Dam took approximately four years and was completed at a total cost of $13 million dollars. Congress authorized construction of Pomona Lake for flood control in the Missouri and Mississippi River Basin. Since the construction of Pomona Lake, flood protection savings have exceeded $210 million.

Pomona is located on 110 Mile Creek, 8.3 miles above confluence with Marais des Cygnes River; 8.5 miles west and 3 miles north of Pomona in Osage County. The watershed includes portions of Franklin, Lyon, Osage and Wabaunsee counties.

Construction of Toronto Lake took approximately six years at a cost of $13.9 million. Toronto Lake was authorized by Congress in August 1941 for flood control purposes. Toronto Lake is located in the scenic valley of the Verdigris River, just south of the town of Toronto, Kansas. It lies at the northern end of the Cross Timbers area, which extends through eastern Oklahoma into northern Texas.

In Kansas, this region is known as the Chautauqua Hills and has a diversity of habitat for visitors to explore. Toronto Lake is part of the Verdigris River Basin and is operated for streamflow support and public water supply.

Operation was completed on Tuttle Creek Lake in Riley County, Kansas, in July 1962 at a total cost of $80 million. Construction began in 1952 and continued through December 1953 before being suspended. Construction work resumed in December 1955. Closure of the dam occurred July 1959. In order to prevent dam failure in an earthquake the foundation of Tuttle Creek was stabilized. This project was completed in 2010 at a cost of $167 million.

Tuttle Creek Lake is a USACE lake developed for flood control, water supply, navigation, water quality, recreation and fish and wildlife. Originally 16,000 acres, the 11,000-acre impoundment is located in northeast Kansas at the lower end of the Big Blue River. Land use within the Tuttle Creek Lake watershed is primarily agricultural, with approximately 72% of the land area in corn, grain sorghum or other crops, 10% in pastureland and 10% in woodland.

Tuttle Creek Lake is part of the Kansas River Basin and is operated for streamflow support and public water supply as a system with Milford Lake and Perry Lake.

Webster Reservoir is on the South Fork of the Solomon River adjacent to the original townsite of Webster in Rooks County, Kansas. It is a modified homogeneous earthfill embankment 10,720 feet long with a structural height of 154 feet. An earthfill dike fills a low saddle to the northwest of the left end of the dam. The spillway is located on the left abutment of the dam. It is a concrete structure with an overflow section controlled by three large radial gates. The spillway has a maximum capacity of 138,000 cubic feet per second. The outlet works through the dam are located on the north bank of the river immediately south of the spillway. The outlet works are used to release water to the stream for downstream requirements and for diversion into the Osborne Canal at Woodston Diversion Dam.

Webster Reservoir is part of the Bureau of Reclamation’s Webster Unit. The Webster Unit of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program is located between Woodston and Osborne, Kansas, on the north side of the South Fork of the Solomon River. Webster Dam, 8 miles west of the city of Stockton, is the principal feature of the unit. The unit provides flood control for areas downstream of the dam, irrigation water to 8,500 irrigable acres of the Webster Irrigation District No. 4, fish and wildlife conservation and enhancement, and recreation opportunities. The Woodston Diversion Dam, four pumping plants, Osborne Canal, laterals, and drains complete the facilities which make up the unit.

Wilson Lake is on the Saline River in the Smoky Hill/Saline River Basin, approximately 30 miles north-east of Russell, Kansas. Authorized purposes of Wilson Lake include flood control, irrigation, and contact recreation. History of Construction: The reservoir was completed in 1964. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers planned, designed, constructed, and today manages the federal reservoir and dam. The structure consists of an earthfill embankment with a foundation compiled of rock and soil. The dam length is 5,600 feet in its entirety, which includes an uncontrolled spillway with two slide gates at 450 feet.