LAWRENCE, Kan.—The lake elevation at Clinton Lake is at the third lowest elevation since the lake was first filled in 1981.
It is currently at elevation 872.3, which is 3.2 feet below the normal multipurpose pool elevation and 5 feet below the typical pool elevation in May.
“Inflow into the lake has been well below average since the summer of 2011,” said Sue Gehrt, operations project manager at Clinton Lake. “Although there has been some rainfall in the area this spring, most of the larger rainfalls have missed the upper Wakarusa River Basin which provides run-off into the lake.”
The Wakarusa River Basin covers a 367-square-mile area west of the lake and south of Topeka.
Inflow in 2012 was 19 percent of average with only 31,588 acre-feet of inflow compared to the historic average of 163,603 acre-feet. So far this year, January through April inflow has been 10 percent of average with a total of 5,780 acre-feet of inflow compared to the historic average of 56,524. These low inflows equate to a very severe 50-year drought condition.
If inflows into the lake continue to be well below average, the lake level at Clinton Lake will continue to drop because of routine withdrawals from the lake due to evaporation, water supply, and minimum stream flow releases. Withdrawals from the lake in 2012 totaled 48,053 acre-feet—56 percent due to evaporation losses, 23 percent for water supply for Lawrence and the rural water districts around the lake, and 21 percent for minimum stream flow release to the Wakarusa River downstream of the dam.
“There is still plenty of water in the lake for boating, fishing, and swimming,” said Gehrt. “All of the boat ramps in Bloomington Park and the Clinton State Park are open. We do ask that boaters be extra cautious and watch for shallow water obstructions. Bloomington Beach is also open. Clinton Lake staff spent several days this month adjusting the beach line and adding sand to improve the Bloomington Beach for low water conditions so our visitors will have a nice swimming beach.”
For additional information, contact the Clinton Lake Project Office at (785) 843-7665.
– 30 –