PERRY LAKE WCM UPDATE
Perry Lake is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operated reservoir located on the Delaware River in northeast Jefferson County, Kansas. Its authorized purposes are flood risk management, water quality, water supply, fish and wildlife conservation, recreation and navigation (authorized but not an operating purpose). The lake is approximately 11,150 acres in size. Perry Lake is one lake in a larger network of lakes, including Clinton Lake, Tuttle Creek Lake, Milford Lake, Kanopolis Lake and Wilson Lake, that operate in parallel with each other. This network functions as a system to play a vital role in managing water resources in the Kansas River Basin for their respective nearby and downstream communities. Perry Lake is located about 40 miles west of Kansas City, just northwest of Lawrence, Kansas. Its close proximity to Kansas City, Lawrence and the state capitol, Topeka, make it a very popular destination.
Congress provided direction and funding in Fiscal Year 2022 for USACE districts across the nation to update Water Control Manuals, or WCMs, to evaluate whether any changes in physical, social and environmental conditions around the dam warrant updating the WCP, include a drought contingency plan and meet new requirements for formatting and updating information.