MARQUETTE – Due to construction work at Kanopolis Lake, the lake will be drawn down an additional foot to elevation 1,461.0 feet. Dive work associated with the construction work requires releases to be shut off for safety purposes, said Day Hayes with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Kansas City District public affairs office. The lake will be drawn down before the dive work starts, then releases will be shut off while dive operations are active. Nightly releases will likely be made to slow the rise of the lake during this period. 

The plan is to release up to 500 cubic feet per second each night. Once the lake reaches the top of the multipurpose pool elevation 1,463.0 feet, dive work will stop until the lake can be drawn back down. Additional rain in the basin may impact construction and release schedules.

This phase of the project should be completed by April 1, Hayes said. Work will continue after that, but water levels will be not be affected.

The only impact on lake activities is that water will be lower on boat ramps, making them a challenge for larger boats. But, Hayes said the lake is 90 percent ice-covered at this time and that ice is expected to linger for a while, so boating is limited anyway.

With changing lake elevations and river levels, the public is encouraged to exercise safety on and near the water. Lake level and release information can be obtained at the Corps website at  nwk.usace.army.mil/Locations/Water-Management/ and nwk.usace.army.mil/Locations/District-Lakes/Kanopolis-Lake/Daily-Lake-Info-2/.

For additional information, contact the Kanopolis Project Office, 785-546-2294.