KANSAS CITY, Mo.— In recent weeks the Kansas City District, US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) has relied almost exclusively on Tuttle Creek Reservoir releases to meet water supply demands and flow targets for the Kansas River at Topeka and DeSoto. Releases from Perry Reservoir and Milford Reservoir have been set at the minimum allowable.
The Corps works closely and coordinates with the Kansas Water Office when planning and scheduling releases from the Kansas reservoirs. Changes to the releases are scheduled by the Corps, in coordination with KWO, only after considering all authorized beneficial purposes at each project and across the system.
Authorized beneficial uses of the multipurpose pools include, but are not limited to, water quality, water supply, fish and wildlife, and recreation.
The continued severe drought Kansas is facing has led to necessary and beneficial releases for water supply in the Kansas River corridor. A large portion of the state’s population gets their drinking water from the Kansas River. Releases from state owned storage in Milford, Tuttle Creek and Perry reservoirs are operated to meet the cities’, citizens and industrial water needs downstream from the reservoirs.
These operations are guided by agreements between the state and the Kansas River Water Assurance District. The Assurance District is comprised of the municipal and industrial water users along the Kansas River from Junction City to the confluence with the Missouri River in Kansas City.
The elevation of Tuttle Creek Reservoir is declining steadily at a rate of approximately 0.2 feet per day. As Tuttle Creek Reservoir passes below elevation 1065.0 feet, expected to occur on or about October 15, the flow targets at Topeka and DeSoto will become approximately 600 and 750 cubic feet per second respectively. After November 1, the flow requirement at DeSoto further declines to approximately 700 cfs.
Unless there is a change in the weather that brings significant rainfall, releases from Tuttle Creek will be reduced after its elevation passes below 1065.0. The decrease at Tuttle Creek will be replaced by combined releases from Milford and Perry. This sequence of changes will ensure that water flow targets at Topeka and DeSoto will continue to be met as efficiently as possible. Based upon current projections of natural stream flow, the release changes will be as follows:
| Tuttle Creek Reservoir |
from 900 cfs to approximately 400 cfs |
| Milford Reseroir |
from 25 cfs to approximately 200 cfs |
| Perry Reservoir |
from 25 cfs to approximately 150 cfs |
The Corps and KWO anticipates these releases will remain in effect until ice cover forms on the reservoirs, at which time releases will be re-evaluated probably in early January. Even with the lowering water levels and this schedule of releases, there is approximately a 90 percent chance of refill of all three reservoirs by July 1, 2013.
For additional information, please contact the Public Affairs Office at (816) 389-3486.
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