The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers planned, designed, constructed, and today manages Tuttle Creek Lake, located in northeast Kansas. The Corps of Engineers operates Tuttle Creek Dam and Lake to benefit the nation by providing flood control, recreation, fish and wildlife conservation, low flow augmentation and supplemental flows for Missouri River navigation.
The Corps of Engineers team at Tuttle Creek Lake includes people with knowledge and skills in many different areas. Professions represented on the staff include:
Building Trades
Facility Maintenance
Heavy Equipment Operation
Mechanical Repair
Natural Resource Management
Park Administration
Wildlife Biology
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers staff at Tuttle Creek Lake manages the lake to provide benefits to the nation in the areas of flood control, recreation, fish and wildlife management, navigation and water quality improvement.
The Corps manages 10,900-acre Tuttle Creek Lake and an additional 20,000 acres of land around the lake.
The staff conducts routine dam safety inspections to maintain the dam and outlet works. Corps employees release water through Tuttle Creek Dam to the Big Blue River in coordination with the Kansas City District’s Water Management Section.
The Corps of Engineers manages and maintains six parks around the lake. Many of these parks include paved roads, campsites, boat ramps and picnic grounds. Two parks are devoted to off-road vehicle enthusiasts.
The Corps of Engineers manages the natural resources on roughly the southern half of the project. The northern half is leased to the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism for the enhancement of wildlife.
Other Corps of Engineers activities include public relations, visitor services, real estate management, emergency services, prairie management, planting trees and wildlife food plots, park patrol and park maintenance.
USACE Pass Information
USACE Annual Pass = $40. Pass holders receive free entrance to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-operated sites nationwide that charge day use fees. The pass may not be used at areas operated by other agencies even if those areas may be located on USACE-owned property. Camping fees are not included. Pass valid for one year. Valid through month and year shown on the pass. Sold only at USACE projects, please call ahead to ensure the office is open to the public.
Federal Interagency Pass Information
Approximately 240 USACE recreation projects nationwide began issuing America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Interagency Passes on Jan. 1, 2016. These include:
1) Interagency Senior Pass, $80, valid for lifetime of the pass owner and available to U.S. citizens and permanent residents age 62 or older.
2) Interagency Senior Annual Pass $20, valid one year from month of purchase, available to U.S. citizens or permanent residents 62 or older, the Senior Annual Pass can be upgraded to the Lifetime Senior Pass by exchanging four previously purchased Senior Annual Passes or paying the difference between the purchase of one to three Senior Annual Passes to equal the value of the Senior Lifetime Pass, $80.
3) Access Pass, free for lifetime with documentation of permanent disability for U.S. citizens or permanent residents. *Documentation required.
4) Interagency Annual Pass, $80, anyone can purchase this pass.
5) Interagency Military Pass, free to current U.S. military members and their dependents. *Documentation required.
6) Interagency Every Kid in a Park 4th Grade Pass, free to current 4th grade students with valid Every Kid in a Park voucher (visit: https://everykidoutdoors.gov/ for details).
7) Interagency Volunteer Pass, earned with 250-plus hours of volunteer service on public lands.
8) Interagency Military Lifetime Pass, free to gold star families and veterans. *Documentation required.
These passes allow their holders free access to boat launches and swimming beaches managed by USACE. Senior and Access America the Beautiful passes also provide holders a 50 percent discount on campsites at USACE-managed campgrounds. Additionally, USACE will continue to sell its own annual day use pass for $40, which allows visitors free access to boat launches and swimming beaches managed by USACE.
All America the Beautiful passes can be purchased online at http://store.usgs.gov/. There is an additional $10 processing fee for online purchases. They can also be obtained in person at many locations which can be found at https://www.nps.gov/ Please call ahead to ensure the office is open to the public and to ensure pass availability.
Long term management objectives
The overall objective of Tuttle Creek Lake's natural resource management program is to manage and conserve wildlife habitat components so that a broad diversity of wildlife will be able to fulfill their basic needs. This is best accomplished by paying attention to native vegetation diversity and vigor. A variety of management techniques are used to enhance the habitat for both game and non-game species. These techniques include controlled burning, timber stand improvement, constructing brush piles, planting food plots and wildlife strips, seeding the shoreline for waterfowl, and erecting wildlife nesting boxes.
Vegetative Management – Forestation Program
Forest management at Tuttle Creek Lake targets sustained benefits for wildlife, recreation, and soil conservation. Oak and hickory tree species are left when conducting timber stand improvement. Acorns and nuts constitute the bulk of wild nut foods for a number of wildlife species such as deer, turkeys, quail, squirrels, mallards, and wood ducks. Other important food tree species that will be favored include walnut, hackberry, ash, mulberry, and maple.
Timber stand improvement (TSI) primarily involves the cutting of trees of regeneration size, less than 2" in diameter, and pole size, less than 9" in diameter, to construct brush pile habitat. Saw timber size trees, greater than 9" in diameter, are culled only if they present a safety hazard. Standing dead trees and snags are not removed as they provide nesting habitat.
The presence of brush leads to niche diversification, which permits a greater number of species to occupy the habitat. Woody vegetation in riparian corridors is protected. A minimum width of 100 feet is desirable to reduce erosion from affecting streambeds. Wildlife bundles are planted along creek banks and field edges to provide food and cover for wildlife and soil stabilization for creek channel edges devoid of vegetation.
Large trees near the lakeshore are protected as winter roosting areas for the endangered bald eagle. Brush piles are established near other existing cover, such as in woody draws and corners of woodlots.
Since the lake is situated in a prairie biome, extensive woodlands are lacking. But the woodlands that are present provide vital wildlife habitat and erosion control.
Grassland Management
One of the main objectives of the resource management program is to protect vegetative diversity. An interspersion of woody species is beneficial to wildlife; however, advanced stages of succession tends to reduce or eliminate certain wildlife species. The most preferred treatment to maintain warm
season grasses is controlled burning. Controlled burning is used to maintain stands of native prairie grasses and forbs, and to suppress woody species, in an effort to maintain a vigorous prairie community. As a management tool, controlled burning accomplishes a number of range management objectives: it improves seedbed conditions, enhances wildlife and range habitats, controls undesirable tree and brush competition, and reduces the possibility of damaging and uncontrollable wild fires.
The burns are conducted in the spring (late March, April, early May) as weather allows. Particular emphasis is placed on maintaining native prairie adjacent to parks and other high visibility areas.
Small groups of larger eastern red cedars in close proximity are desirable as cover. Otherwise, eradication is preferred. Mechanical control is employed if fire is inappropriate or ineffective.
Agricultural Benefits to Wildlife
The Corps of Engineers and the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism perform a variety of wildlife enhancement activities with the cooperation of local farmers. The agricultural leasing program is an important element in the overall wildlife management effort. Several management practices are incorporated in the lease conditions.
One technique is establishing wildlife or weed strips, a minimum of 25 feet wide, along stream banks, ravines, and tree and brush lines. These strips provide edges for nesting and cover habitat for many wildlife species. Incorporating weed strips within larger agricultural ground breaks up the row crop monoculture, and provides valuable cover and escape lanes for various prey species.
Another practice commonly employed is requiring lessees to leave a percentage of their crops standing over winter as food for wildlife. Both game and non-game species benefit from this practice. These standing crops, usually corn, milo, and soybeans, provide a food source which will remain uncovered by ice and snow. While native foods provide the bulk of most wild animal diets, agricultural crops can serve as a supplement, and provide food that is high in energy and nutritional value. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism provides 3,220 acres of cropland for winter food, attracting deer, turkeys, quail, pheasants, squirrels, and doves.
In certain areas, wildlife food and cover may be scarce or lacking. Food plots can provide cover and winter food for a wide variety of wildlife. These plots are small, usually an acre in size, and are used in areas which are some distance from farmed ground.
Topography
The lake is situated in the northern portion of the Flint Hills, which are characterized by flat-topped hills with long, steep slopes, limestone rock outcrops, and well-defined stream channels. Relief between the stream floodplains and the hilltops adjacent to the lake averages about 300 feet. Much of the land is too stony to cultivate.
Geology and Soils
From about Randolph Bridge north, glacial drift forms a discontinuous mantle, attaining a maximum thickness of 300 feet. South of Randolph Bridge, alluvial deposits range from 10 to 50 feet deep. Bedrock consists of a sequence of cherty limestones and shales of the Permian age.
Upland soils are commonly very shallow, stony and gravelly. They are developed from limestone and limy shales and occupy slopes of 7 to 20 percent or more. The topsoils are silty clay loams 3 to 5 inches thick. The unweathered parent material is usually encountered at 8 to 20 inches.
Lower slope and bottomland soils are moderately deep, dark, friable, silty clay loams 5 to 10 inches thick. They are derived from loess, limestone, and limy shales. The subsoils are silty clay loams found to a depth of 38 inches.
Under normal erosion conditions, exposed topsoil may be totally displaced.
Mineral resources include sand, gravel, crushed rock, and gypsum. Gypsum is mined near Blue Rapids, and sand, gravel, and limestone are extracted at several locations around the lake area.
A reservoir for flood control, conservation and other purposes near the mouth of the Big Blue River was first mentioned in official documents in 1928. Seven reservoirs were recommended for the Missouri River Basin by the 1938 Flood Control Committee Report of the 75th Congress. One of these was Tuttle Creek Reservoir, included for flood control and navigation benefits.
The Flood Control Act of 1938 authorized construction of Tuttle Creek Reservoir. Funds were appropriated for initial planning in 1944. The Flood Control Act of 1944, known as the Pick-Sloan Plan, coordinated plans by the Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation for the entire Missouri River Basin. The first exploratory core hole was drilled in the spillway area on June 6, 1944.
A 1950 study looked at the possibility of a series of reservoirs in the upper Blue River Basin as an alternative to Tuttle Creek Reservoir. It found that the single reservoir was the most feasible for controlling floods on the Big Blue River. This study also designated capacities for the flood control, conservation, and sedimentation pools.
The Flood of 1951
A series of 1951 flood events culminated in the disastrous July flood, far exceeding all other floods of record on the Kansas and lower Missouri Rivers, both in magnitude and damage. Rains of unprecedented intensity occurred over the Kansas River Basin; during the period of July 9-13, some areas received 18.5 inches, and the eastern half of the basin averaged 8 inches. All transportation was brought to a standstill, communication lines were down, radio stations were inundated, and electric power and water facilities were disrupted. One hundred sixteen cities and towns were affected, and 85,000 persons were evacuated. Over 22,000 residences in the Kansas River Basin were inundated, and nearly 2,500 were demolished. More than 3,000 businesses were flooded, of which 336 were destroyed.
Over 10,000 farms suffered flood damage. The swift current of the floodwaters scoured many fields and deposited heavy blankets of sediment and sand over others.
Throughout the flooded area, the normal economic activity was replaced by rescue and relief operations, and after the flood by rehabilitation efforts. Total losses in the Kansas River Basin and at the Kansas Cities exceeded $725,000,000. This figure does not include the secondary losses which occur after a flood of such magnitude.
The 1952 Definite Project Report, approved by the Chief of Engineers in March 1952, served as the basis for design of Tuttle Creek Dam and Reservoir. This report increased the flood control storage capacity using hydrologic data from the Flood of 1951.
The premise in 1952 was that Tuttle Creek would be a "dry dam", passing inflows on through except in flood situations. No recreational facilities were recommended. However, a prolonged drought in 1952 and 1953, combined with the need for improved flow on the Kansas River and an expressed desire for recreational improvements, prompted Congress to remove the "dry dam" restriction in 1957.
Actual construction began on October 7, 1952 and continued through December 1953 when work was suspended due to lack of additional appropriations. Construction work resumed in December 1955. Closure of the dam occurred July 4, 1959; the Big Blue River was diverted to flow through the intake tower with dynamite detonated to simulate an atomic explosion. This operation symbolized the first control of the waters from the vast drainage area of the Big Blue.
The Corps acquired title to 33,847 acres in fee simple. Flowage easements were purchased on an additional 27,376 acres. The Corps negotiated with 1,713 different landowners during the 13 years (1952-1965) it took to procure project lands.
Beginning in the early 1950s and continuing until after construction was resumed in 1955, vigorous opposition to the project was directed at officials at local, state, and national levels. Three thousand Blue Valley residents were affected by the dam, and the controversy surrounding the decision to build it was intense. Ten towns were affected: Stockdale, Randolph, Winkler, Cleburne, Irving, Blue Rapids, Shroyer, Garrison, Barrett, and Bigelow.
The proponents of the project, however, prevailed. These primarily downstream interests desired flood protection and regulated releases during periods of low flow.
During later phases of construction, local opposition had dwindled to a few landowners who resisted right-of-entry and evacuation until compelled to yield by court order. As prospects of a large lake became apparent, favorable regard for the project grew.
In 1960, Tuttle Creek Dam, still incomplete, experienced its first large inflow. The heaviest statewide average snowfall of record, 46.3 inches, fell in February and March, followed by mild weather March 21-28. The rapid snowmelt caused moderate to heavy flooding on the Big Blue River. The Kansas River stage was reduced almost four feet at Topeka due to Tuttle Creek Dam, which was credited with $15,243,000 in damages prevented during this period. Some 360,000 acre-feet of snowmelt was retained behind the dam with the outlets fully open. Discharges of 29,000 cubic feet per second were made from March 31 through April 10. To this day, these discharges have never been exceeded.
Construction was completed and operation began July 1, 1962. Multipurpose pool, 1075.0 feet above sea level, was attained April 29, 1963. The reservoir was dedicated June 1, 1963. Total cost was $80,051,031, with an expected return of $4.20 on every dollar invested. (To date, Tuttle Creek Lake has prevented over eight billion dollars in damages, yielding an actual return of $107 on each dollar initially invested.)
With the dam completed, the focus turned to operation and maintenance of the project. The hydrologic extremes so often witnessed in the valley frequently dictated lake levels. In 1966 an extended period of drought required the lowering of the pool to maintain water flow on the Kansas River and navigation on the Missouri River. The record low elevation of 1060.82 was attained January 4, 1967.
At the other extreme, 1993 stands as the year of the record high pool level. A series of intense rainfalls in the spring and early summer swelled Tuttle Creek Lake from 13,000 to 56,000 acres. The pool crested at elevation 1137.77 on July 23, 1993, almost 63 feet above normal. The Flood of 1993 resulted in the only spillway release in the history of the lake. All eighteen tainter gates were raised four feet during the flood’s peak, releasing a record 60,000 cfs. The roar of the water was audible half a mile away. The gates were closed following three weeks of releases, revealing the transformation of the spillway channel into a canyonland, testament to the incredible eroding power of fast-flowing water.
When Tuttle Creek Dam was designed, there was no recognized need for specific earthquake evaluations of soil structures, and the techniques to perform the evaluations had not yet been developed. Little was known about Kansas earthquakes, but recent advances in earthquake soils engineering and improved knowledge of Midwest earthquakes enabled the Corps to conduct state of the art seismic evaluations, beginning in the late 1980s. They revealed that Tuttle Creek Dam could be significantly damaged to the point of failure after a major earthquake. The probability of an earthquake of the size necessary to damage the dam is very small, but due to the potential consequences, the Corps modified the subsoil structure of the dam to enable it to withstand the maximum probable earthquake. The stabilization consisted of 351 underground concrete walls beneath approximately one mile of the downstream slope of the dam. The final wall was completed August 31, 2009. Each wall is four feet wide, 45 feet long and 60 feet deep.
During an earthquake, the walls will prevent dam failure since the dam will be supported by the walls. The bottom of each wall is founded in strong sand and gravel near the top of bedrock that will not be impacted by shaking.
Restoration of the downstream side of the dam and placement of riprap (large rock protection) on the upstream and downstream slopes of the dam was finished in October, 2010.
The Tuttle Creek foundation stabilization project was completed at a cost of $175 million, $75 million under budget and two years ahead of schedule.
The lake and the policies that govern it are constantly evolving to meet the needs of new generations. Future development and management of the land and water resources at Tuttle Creek Lake is a continuing challenge, a challenge which will be met by the Corps of Engineers.
Floods and Droughts
River flow in the Kansas River Basin is erratic, varying from disastrous floods to equally disastrous droughts. Between 1903 and 1959, there were 25 damaging floods on the main stem of the Kansas River at Topeka. Interspersed within this time period were several critical drought periods. Regulation for both flood control and conservation has to be based on assumptions of a recurrence of these critical hydrological events.
Natural flows of the Kansas River have been reasonably adequate in the past, except in periods of severe drought. Industrial and population growth require supplemental flows from reservoirs, from both the quality and quantity standpoints. The Smoky Hill River contains chlorides and sulfates, so careful scheduling of conservation releases are necessary to obtain mixing with comparatively better quality water from the other Kansas River tributaries.
Too, low flow in the Kansas must be of sufficient volume for the dilution of organic and inorganic wastes, and at the same time, it must be of adequate quality for industrial and municipal water supply. Tuttle Creek Lake is often called on for releases to boost both the water quality and quantity downstream during dry spells. From 1968 to 2010, Tuttle Creek has made low flow releases of 100-200 cfs on 1132 days.
Naming of Tuttle Creek Dam
Tuttle Creek Dam and Lake are named for Tuttle Creek, a small stream flowing into the Big Blue River from the west about three miles upstream from the dam.
Tuttle Creek was named for Henry Tuttle, a veteran of the War with Mexico (1846). He received a veteran’s Letters Patent in 1860 to eighty acres of land along the north side of the creek, less than two miles above its mouth.
The lake area is located in a portion of the only remaining extensive humid tallgrass prairie. The climax cover is a mixture of tall and midgrasses characteristic of the true prairie. Examples of predominant plants are the bluestems, switchgrass, indiangrass, gramas, goldenrods, sunflowers, and native legumes.
Such native prairie associations have survived in pure stands for centuries because of two conditions. The first is available moisture. Because native warm season grasses grow well in the heat of summer, they provide excellent competition for moisture with the various woody species.
The second factor, fire, restricts woody encroachment of native prairies. Historically, fire periodically swept across the prairie, killing back young woody growth and stimulating additional grass production. Thus, primary woody invaders, such as eastern red cedar, honeylocust, and rough-leaved dogwood, could not become established.
Grasslands around the lake attract a varied array of wildlife, such as coyotes, voles, prairie chickens, meadowlarks, and upland sandpipers. These areas produce valuable seed crops, grasses, legumes, and wild herbaceous plants. Areas overgrown with herbs, shrubs, and vines attract quail, pheasants, field sparrows, rabbits, and foxes.
The Tuttle Creek Lake area experiences warm summers and moderately cold winters. Typical of the central plains, the variations from season to season and from year to year can be great. Average annual rainfall is 34 inches. Precipitation is heaviest in late spring and early summer. About 70 percent of the annual precipitation falls during the growing season.
The average frost-free season is about 172 days, April 23 to October 15. Relative humidity averages about 55 percent. Prevailing summer winds are from the south, and from the northwest during the winter. Periods of high winds can be expected in March, April and May; May and June are months of greatest severe storm frequency. Wind velocity averages 11 mph. The lake area receives about 66 percent of the possible annual sunshine with an average of 130 clear days.
Precipitation
By Month
| |
2025 |
2024 |
2023 |
2022 |
2021 |
2020 |
2019 |
2018 |
2017 |
2016 |
2015 |
2014 |
2013 |
2012 |
2011 |
2010 |
| January |
2.65" |
2.13" |
1.7" |
0.26" |
0.82" |
1.15" |
0.84" |
0.53" |
1.72" |
0.62" |
0.05" |
0.26" |
0.91" |
0.01" |
0.82" |
0.28" |
| February |
0.47" |
1.03" |
1.01" |
0.00" |
0.09" |
0.64" |
1.44" |
0.80" |
0.52" |
0.49" |
1.69" |
1.86" |
1.55" |
1.88" |
0.93" |
0.69" |
| March |
0.64" |
0.77" |
0.46" |
2.38" |
3.49" |
2.51" |
2.52" |
0.44" |
4.52" |
0.38" |
0.33" |
0.46" |
0.85" |
2.69" |
1.33" |
2.89" |
| April |
4.59" |
4.07" |
1.7" |
1.36" |
2.52" |
1.86" |
2.24" |
0.95" |
4.74" |
8.11" |
2.83" |
4.02" |
4.97" |
2.43" |
3.03" |
3.36" |
| May |
2.77" |
9.97" |
4.83" |
9.80" |
4.58" |
6.48" |
12.71" |
4.58" |
4.41" |
6.53" |
9.12" |
1.62" |
3.91" |
1.75" |
5.36" |
3.87" |
| June |
4.87" |
3.68" |
2.56" |
6.08" |
2.61" |
2.37" |
7.96" |
2.83" |
4.04" |
0.61" |
6.62" |
8.72" |
4.77" |
5.65" |
7.16" |
9.97" |
| July |
3.07" |
4.56" |
3.58" |
5.55" |
8.02" |
6.32" |
4.90" |
3.17" |
1.38" |
5.16" |
6.04" |
0.99" |
5.74" |
0.88" |
2.58" |
4.01" |
| August |
2.32" |
4.74" |
3.55" |
1.10" |
3.34" |
1.23" |
11.70" |
7.16 |
5.77" |
6.17" |
4.62" |
3.60" |
3.33" |
5.41" |
2.55" |
3.77" |
| September |
2.75" |
0.20" |
0.85" |
1.91" |
2.11" |
1.80" |
2.52" |
12.51" |
1.79" |
4.78" |
3.85" |
2.10" |
3.55" |
2.33" |
1.69" |
2.90" |
| October |
2.31" |
1.66" |
2.23" |
0.80" |
4.34" |
0.70" |
3.53" |
6.16" |
2.20" |
2.16" |
0.77" |
3.93" |
5.19" |
1.03" |
2.21" |
1.48" |
| November |
1.89" |
3.84" |
1.78" |
2.88" |
0.46" |
2.31" |
0.69" |
0.63" |
0.05" |
0.17" |
5.41" |
0.05" |
0.60" |
0.91" |
4.08" |
1.97" |
| December |
0.63" |
0.06" |
2.24" |
1.04" |
0.50" |
.80" |
1.20" |
3.15" |
0.00" |
0.83" |
3.74" |
1.45" |
0.85" |
0.40" |
3.54" |
0.05" |
Yearly Rainfall
| YEAR |
TOTAL " |
| 2025 |
28.96 |
| 2024 |
37.71 |
| 2023 |
26.49 |
| 2022 |
33.16 |
| 2021 |
32.88 |
| 2020 |
28.17 |
| 2019 |
52.25 |
| 2018 |
42.91 |
| 2017 |
31.14 |
| 2016 |
36.01 |
| 2015 |
45.07 |
|
2014
|
29.06 |
| 2013 |
32.67 |
| 2012 |
25.37 |
|
2011
|
35.28
|
|
2010
|
35.24
|
|
2009
|
37.95
|
|
2008
|
41.66
|
|
2007
|
43.32
|
|
2006
|
29.41
|
|
2005
|
35.40
|
|
2004
|
32.90
|
|
2003
|
28.95
|
|
2002
|
23.28
|
|
2001
|
36.75
|
|
2000
|
24.98
|
|
1999
|
31.28
|
|
1998
|
38.66
|
|
1997
|
26.78
|
|
1996
|
29.18
|
|
1995
|
37.36
|
|
1994
|
25.63
|
|
1993
|
51.97
|
|
1992
|
33.34
|
|
1991
|
22.46
|
|
1990
|
27.38
|
|
1989
|
28.24
|
|
1988
|
18.78
|
|
1987
|
29.94
|
|
1986
|
42.58
|
|
1985
|
37.25
|
|
1984
|
36.84
|
|
1983
|
32.47
|
|
1982
|
33.21
|
|
1981
|
32.10
|
|
1980
|
24.55
|
|
1979
|
30.74
|
|
1978
|
24.21
|
|
1977
|
44.18
|
|
1976
|
23.80
|
|
1975
|
29.98
|
|
1974
|
28.74
|
|
1973
|
50.53
|
|
1972
|
33.95
|
|
1971
|
31.85
|
|
1970
|
35.49
|
|
1969
|
30.74
|
|
1968
|
33.91
|
|
1967
|
37.75
|
|
1966
|
14.30
|
|
1965
|
40.12
|
|
1964
|
29.52
|
|
1963
|
17.74
|
|
1962
|
32.78
|