Clinton Lake (Kansas)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Clinton Lake
USACE area map
Location	Douglas County, Kansas
Coordinates	38°54′41.4″N 95°21′57.7″W / 38.9115, -95.366028Coordinates: 38°54′41.4″N 95°21′57.7″W / 38.9115, -95.366028
Lake type	Reservoir
Primary inflows	Wakarusa River, Rock Creek, Deer Creek
Primary outflows	Wakarusa River
Catchment area	367 sq mi (950 km²)
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	9,550 ft (2,910 m)
Max. width	940 ft (286 m)
Surface area	7,000 acres (28 km²)
Average depth	7 ft (2.1 m)
Max. depth	55 ft (17 m)
Water volume	110,400 acre·ft (0.1362 km³)
Shore length¹	85 miles (137 m)
Surface elevation	875.5 ft (267 m)
Islands	38º 54' 48 N 95º 21' 39 W
Settlements	Lawrence, Kansas
¹ Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Clinton Lake

Clinton Lake is a man-made lake on the southwestern edge of Lawrence, Kansas. The lake was created by the construction of the Clinton Dam, and the 35 square miles (91 km²) of land and water is maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Construction of the dam and lake was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1962 (Public Law 87-874), and funds were allocated for the project in 1971. Construction began in 1972, and the dam was completed in 1975. Impoundment began on November 30, 1977, yet the conservation pool was reached in 1980. Filling the reservoir slowly helped create a more hospitable environment for fish by allowing the native grass to remain on most of the upper lake-bed. In April 1981, the lake began multipurpose operations including flood control, water supply, and recreation.

[edit] Recreation

Clinton Lake serves as a popular recreational area with four parks managed by the Army Corps of Engineers, and one park managed by the city of Lawrence. The lake offers opportunities for boating, fishing and other water sports. The surrounding land, part of which is Clinton State Park, allows access to mountain biking trails, camping, hiking, horseback riding, geocaching, hunting, picnicking and wildlife viewing. The Clinton Lake Museum is on the west side of the lake in Bloomington Park. The Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival is held annually in June and boasts a fine assortment of music from bluegrass to hip hop.

[edit] Protection

Clinton Lake is the source of water for over 100,000 people in northeastern Kansas, making it the most relied on reservoir in the state. However, the health and life span of the lake depend on how well sediment and other contaminants are controlled up in the watershed. In 2002 the Kaw Valley Heritage Alliance, a water quality advocacy group, published a Watershed Restoration And Protection Strategy (WRAPS) for the Upper Wakarusa watershed. Chief concerns were degrading lake conditions and increasing water supply needs. The WRAPS provided a structure for building cross-watershed to regional, grassroots to multi-agency stakeholder cooperation. A formal Wakarusa WRAPS leadership team was chartered in 2007.