KANSAS CITY, Mo.— The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Kansas City District has recently begun releasing water from three area lakes in Kansas to provide navigation support on the Missouri River.
The Missouri Basin Water Management Office requested on July 9 the Kansas City District begin providing navigation support.
Water from the multi-purpose pools of Milford, Tuttle Creek and Perry lakes can be released to support Missouri River Navigation in accordance with both the Missouri River Master Manual and the Kansas River Master Manual. November 2009 was the last time the district was required to provide navigation support water.
The current level of support is 2,000 Cubic Feet per Second and traditionally has not exceeded 4,000 cfs. The following plan is currently in place to support the request: Tuttle Creek Lake is releasing 1,200 cfs, and Perry Lake releases will be increased to 700 cfs on July 13. Milford Lake is releasing 100 cfs with the intent to conserve their seasonal pool as long as possible, recognizing that navigation withdrawals will be necessary in the future.
All three lakes are currently above their multi-purpose elevations. Based upon these release rates and the current inflow and water conditions, Perry and Tuttle Creek lakes will decline to multi-purpose elevation in approximately 7-10 days. Milford Lake will decline to multi-purpose elevation in approximately 25 days.
The Kansas City District’s current plan to maintain navigation support water is to eliminate flood control storage and then distribute multi-purpose pool withdrawals across the three lakes. Once the flood control storage is depleted, we will adjust releases from Tuttle Creek and Perry lakes so their pools decline at a similar rate. Milford Lake multi-purpose water will be utilized at a lesser rate in an effort to conserve storage in this most drought-challenged of the three watersheds.
For more information contact the Public Affairs Office at (816) 389-3486.
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Release no. PA-2012-43