Water release slows down at Cheney Lake

Water release slows down at Cheney Lake

Water release slows down at Cheney Lake

Water is still being released from Cheney Lake, but now it’s flowing at a much slower rate.

Sedgwick County officials report that the gates at the dam have been open three feet since May 29th.  They were completely open at 7.5 feet on May 22nd when the release of water began.  The outflow from the lake peaked at 4,300 cubic feet per second, but now it has dropped to 1,566 cfs, and that will allow the Ninnescah River to return to flowing within its banks.   The release will continue until the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers draws the lake level down to a point where it can store future rainfall in the flood control pool.

No major flooding was reported along the Ninnescah River after the release began at Cheney Lake.

County officials also said the M.S. “Mitch” Mitchell Floodway, also known as The Big Ditch, has helped to prevent flooding in Wichita and the county after the recent rains.  The floodway is not at capacity and it will be able to continue taking on additional precipitation.   All of the pump stations that send water into the Big Ditch have been functioning properly.

More storms are in the forecast for Saturday night and Sunday night, but they’re expected to be scattered instead of widespread.

 

 

Recommended Posts

Loading...