Kanopolis Lake

{{Use American English|date=July 2025}} {{Infobox body of water |name = Kanopolis Lake |image = Kanopolis Lake aerial.jpg |caption = Aerial view of Kanopolis Lake |image_bathymetry = Map of Ellsworth Co, Ks, USA.png |caption_bathymetry = KDOT map of Ellsworth County (legend)

|location = Ellsworth County, Kansas |coords = {{coord|38|37|58|N|97|59|53|W|format=dms|type:waterbody_region:US-KS_source:gnis|display=inline,title}}

|type = Reservoir |inflow = Smoky Hill River |outflow = Smoky Hill River |catchment = {{convert|2330|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}} |basin_countries = United States |agency = U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |date-built = 1948 |date-flooded = February 17, 1948

|length = {{convert|12|mi|km}} |width = |area = {{convert|3406|acres|km2}} |depth = |max-depth = {{convert|35|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name=Fishing>{{cite web | title = Kanopolis Reservoir Fishing Information | publisher = Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism | url = http://ksoutdoors.com/Fishing/Where-to-Fish-in-Kansas/Fishing-Locations-Public-Waters/Northwest-Region/Kanopolis-Reservoir | accessdate = 2015-11-10}}</ref> |volume = ''Full:'' {{convert|49474|acre-ft|m3|abbr=on}}<ref name=Volume/><br>''Current (Nov. 2015):'' {{convert|47080|acre-ft|m3|abbr=on}}<ref name=Conditions/> |residence_time = |shore = {{convert|41|mi|km}} |elevation = ''Full:'' {{convert|1463|ft|m}}<ref name=Volume/><br>''Current (Nov. 2015):'' {{convert|1462.5|ft|m}}<ref name=Conditions/> |frozen = |islands =

|cities = Kanopolis, Langley,<br>Venango, Yankee Run  | pushpin_map = Kansas#USA | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_alt = Location of Kanopolis Lake in Kansas, USA. | pushpin_map_caption =  | website = |reference = <ref name=gnis>{{cite gnis | 475470 | Kanopolis Lake | 2015-10-08}}</ref> }}

'''Kanopolis Lake''' is a reservoir in Ellsworth County in the Smoky Hills of central Kansas, about 31 miles southwest of Salina and a few miles southeast of the town of Kanopolis. The lake is formed by Kanopolis Dam. Completed in 1948 as a flood control and water conservation project of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the dam impounds the Smoky Hill River.<ref name=Dam>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/ka/TheDam.cfm |title=Kanopolis Lake |access-date=2014-07-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120724011959/http://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/ka/TheDam.cfm |archive-date=2012-07-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==History== The Flood Control Act of 1938 authorized the construction of Kanopolis Dam and Lake, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began work in June 1940.<ref name=kwo1/> The outbreak of World War II, however, led to a suspension of the effort in 1942, delaying the project for 3 1/2 years.<ref>{{cite web | title = Kanopolis Lake - Local History | publisher = U.S. Army Corps of Engineers | url = https://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/Locations/District-Lakes/Kanopolis-Lake/LocalHistory/ | access-date = 2015-10-14}}</ref> The Corps of Engineers finally completed construction in 1948 at a cost of $12.3 million.<ref name=Brochure>{{cite web | title = Kanopolis Lake, Kansas | publisher = U.S. Army Corps of Engineers | url = http://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/Portals/29/docs/lakesites/Kanopolis/Kanopolis-Brochure.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130221075620/http://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/Portals/29/docs/lakesites/Kanopolis/Kanopolis-Brochure.pdf | url-status = dead | archive-date = February 21, 2013 | accessdate = 2015-10-14}}</ref> Storage of water in the reservoir began February 17, 1948.<ref name=kwo1/> Kanopolis Lake was the first reservoir built in the Corps of Engineers' Kansas City District which continues to oversee it to the present day.<ref name=Brochure/>

==Geography== Kanopolis Lake is located at {{Coord|38|37|58|N|97|59|53|W|type:city}} (38.6327013, -97.9980411) at an elevation of {{convert|1463|ft|m}}.<ref name=gnis/> It lies in central Kansas in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains.<ref name=KDOT/> It is located entirely within Ellsworth County.<ref name=CountyMap>{{cite web | title = General Highway Map - Ellsworth County, Kansas | publisher = Kansas Department of Transportation | date = July 2011 | url = https://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/county-dgn/ellsworth.JPG | accessdate = 2015-10-08}}</ref>

The reservoir is impounded at its southeastern end by '''Kanopolis Dam'''. The dam is located at {{Coord|38|37|00|N|97|58|06|W|type:city}} (38.6166747, -97.9683822) at an elevation of {{convert|1467|ft|m}}.<ref name=damgnis>{{cite gnis |type=retired| 476931 | Kanopolis Dam | 2015-10-08}}</ref> The Smoky Hill River is both the reservoir's primary inflow from the northwest and outflow to the southeast.<ref name=KDOT>{{cite web | title = 2003-2004 Official Transportation Map | publisher = Kansas Department of Transportation | url = http://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/HistoricStateMaps/2003-04Mapside.pdf | accessdate = 2015-10-08 | archive-date = 2016-03-04 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304202254/http://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/HistoricStateMaps/2003-04Mapside.pdf | url-status = dead }}</ref> Smaller tributaries include Alum Creek, which flows south into the northern end of the reservoir, and Bluff Creek, which flows north-northeast into the southwest part of the reservoir.<ref name=CountyMap/>

Kansas Highway 141 runs generally north-south along the reservoir's eastern shore and across the top of Kanopolis Dam.<ref name=CountyMap/>

There are two settlements at Kanopolis Lake, both unincorporated: Yankee Run on the western shore and Venango on the eastern shore immediately north of the dam.<ref name=CountyMap/>

==Hydrography== The surface area, surface elevation, and water volume of the reservoir fluctuate based on inflow and local climatic conditions.<ref name=Conditions>{{cite web | title = USGS 06865000 Kanopolis Lake near Kanopolis, KS | publisher = U.S. Geological Survey | url = https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ks/nwis/uv/?site_no=06865000&PARAmeter_cd=62614,62615,00054 | accessdate = 2015-11-10}}</ref> In terms of capacity, the Corps of Engineers vertically divides the reservoir into a set of pools based on volume and water level, and the reservoir is considered full when filled to the capacity of its multi-purpose pool. When full, Kanopolis Lake has a surface area of {{convert|3406|acres|km2}}, a surface elevation of {{convert|1463|ft|m}}, and a volume of {{convert|49474|acre-ft|m3|abbr=on}}. When filled to maximum capacity, it has a surface area of {{convert|23408|acres|km2}}, a surface elevation of {{convert|1532|ft|m}}, and a volume of {{convert|857407|acre-ft|m3|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Volume>{{cite web | title = Annual Report of Reservoir Regulation Activities - Summary for Calendar Year 2013 | publisher = U.S. Army Corps of Engineers | date = March 2014 | url = http://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/Portals/29/13AnnualRep.pdf | accessdate = 2015-11-10 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150910075014/http://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/Portals/29/13AnnualRep.pdf | archive-date = 2015-09-10 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

The streambed underlying the reservoir has an elevation of {{convert|1406|ft|m}}. Since the reservoir's initial flooding, sedimentation has gradually accumulated on the reservoir bottom thus raising its elevation.<ref name=Slides>{{cite web | title = Surface Water Policy Issues and Kansas Reservoirs | publisher = Kansas Water Office | date = 2010-08-04 | url = http://kswatercongress.org/PDF/2010%20Water%20Congress%20-%20Earl%20Lewis.pdf | accessdate = 2015-11-10 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304104533/http://kswatercongress.org/PDF/2010%20Water%20Congress%20-%20Earl%20Lewis.pdf | archive-date = 2016-03-04 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

When full, the reservoir has {{convert|41|mi|km}} of shoreline while, at the top of its flood control pool, it has {{convert|135|mi|km}} of shoreline.<ref name=kwo1>{{cite web | title = Bathymetric and Sediment Survey of Kanopolis Reservoir, Ellsworth County, Kansas | publisher = Kansas Biological Survey | date = April 2009 | url = http://www.kwo.org/reservoirs/ReservoirBathymetry/Kanopolis_final_report_revised%20(2).pdf | accessdate = 2015-10-08}}</ref>

==Infrastructure== Kanopolis Dam is a rolled earth-fill embankment dam with riprap on its upstream face. It stands {{convert|131|ft|m}} tall and {{convert|15360|ft|m}} long.<ref name=kwo1/> At its crest, the dam has an elevation of {{convert|1537|ft|m}}.<ref name=Volume/>

==Management== The Kansas City District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages Kanopolis Dam and Kanopolis Lake for the purposes of flood damage reduction, recreation, fish and wildlife management, and water supply and quality management. The Corps also oversees {{convert|11000|acres|km2}} of land around the reservoir, conducting prairie restoration, prescribed burning, and tree planting in order to conserve soil and benefit wildlife.<ref>{{cite web | title = Kanopolis Lake | publisher = U.S. Army Corps of Engineers | url = https://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/Locations/District-Lakes/Kanopolis-Lake/ | access-date = 2015-10-14}}</ref> The Corps also leases 41 units of land totaling roughly {{convert|12500|acres|km2}} to area farmers to use with designated wildlife management requirements.<ref name=Brochure/>

Of the land around the reservoir, the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWP) manages over {{convert|5000|acres|km2}} as the '''Smoky Hill Wildlife Area'''. It has designated a portion of the Area as a wildlife refuge.<ref name=SPBrochure>{{cite web | title = Kanopolis State Park | publisher = Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism | url = http://ksoutdoors.com/content/download/940/4684/file/KANOPOLIS%20SP.pdf | accessdate = 2015-10-14}}</ref> The KDWP also stocks fish for the reservoir seasonally.<ref name=Brochure/>

==Parks and recreation== The Corps of Engineers manages three parks at Kanopolis Lake: Venango Park, Outlet Park, and Riverside Park. The largest, Venango Park, is located on the reservoir's eastern shore just north of Kanopolis Dam. It hosts campgrounds, hiking trails, an ATV trail, a swimming beach, and a boat ramp. Outlet Park is a small park that lies immediately below the dam at the confluence of the Smoky Hill River with Sand Creek. Riverside Park is on the south bank of the river just east of Outlet Park and hosts camping facilities. The Corps of Engineers Information Center is also located below the dam, just south of Outlet Park.<ref name=ACEMap>{{cite web | title = Kanopolis Lake [Map] | publisher = U.S. Army Corps of Engineers | date = 2007 | url = http://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/Portals/29/docs/lakesites/Kanopolis/Kanopolis-LakeMap.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130225040641/http://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/Portals/29/docs/lakesites/Kanopolis/Kanopolis-LakeMap.pdf | url-status = dead | archive-date = February 25, 2013 | accessdate = 2015-10-14}}</ref> The Corps also operates the Boldt Bluff and Yankee Run access areas, located on the reservoir's western shore, for fishing and primitive camping.<ref name=Brochure/>

The KDWP oversees Kanopolis State Park which is divided into two areas: the Horsethief Area, located on the reservoir's eastern shore north of Venango Park, and the Langley Point Area, located on the southern shore immediately west of the dam.<ref name=ACEMap/> Both areas host amphitheaters, boat ramps, and camping facilities. The Horsethief Area also includes extensive hiking trails, several of which extend into the Smoky Hill Wildlife Area. The Langley Point Area also includes a baseball field, a marina, and a swimming beach. KDWP also manages Mushroom Rock State Park located approximately {{convert|4|mi|km}} north of the reservoir.<ref name=SPBrochure/>

Kanopolis Lake is open to sport fishing. Almost {{convert|16000|acres|km2}} of public land near the reservoir, most of it upstream along the Smoky Hill River, are open to hunting.<ref name=Brochure/>

===Points of interest=== The Faris Caves are located in the Smoky Hill Wildlife Area northwest of the reservoir. Carved into the sandstone cliffs along the Smoky Hill River by early American settlers, they once served as a schoolhouse, living quarters, and a milk house.<ref name=StatePark>{{cite web | title = Kanopolis State Park | publisher = Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism | url = http://ksoutdoors.com/State-Parks/Locations/Kanopolis | accessdate = 2015-10-14}}</ref>

==Wildlife== Fish species resident in Kanopolis Lake include channel catfish, crappie, largemouth bass, saugeye, walleye, white bass, and wiper. Game animals living around the reservoir include coyotes, deer, pheasants, prairie chickens, rabbits, quail, squirrels, turkeys, and various waterfowl.<ref name=SPBrochure/> Bald eagles and ospreys migrate through the area in winter.<ref name=StatePark/>

==Gallery== <gallery class="center" widths="160px" heights="120px"> File:Horse Thief Canyon at Kanopolis Lake KS.jpg|Horse Thief Canyon in Kanopolis State Park File:Kanopolis Dam.jpg|Kanopolis Dam File:Red Rock Canyon - Kanopolis Lake KS.jpg|Red Rock Canyon at Kanopolis Lake </gallery>

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

==External links== ;Official * [https://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/Locations/District-Lakes/Kanopolis-Lake/ Kanopolis Lake], U.S. Army Corps of Engineers * [http://corpslakes.usace.army.mil/visitors/projects.cfm?Id=G508730 Kanopolis Lake Recreation Areas] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031120145525/http://corpslakes.usace.army.mil/visitors/projects.cfm?Id=G508730 |date=2003-11-20 }}, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers * [http://ksoutdoors.com/State-Parks/Locations/Kanopolis Kanopolis State Park], Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism * [http://ksoutdoors.com/KDWPT-Info/Locations/Wildlife-Areas/Northwest/Smoky-Hill-Kanopolis Smoky Hill/Kanopolis Wildlife Area], Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism ;Other * [http://www.naturalkansas.org/kanopolis.htm Kanopolis Lake] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150111123821/http://www.naturalkansas.org/kanopolis.htm |date=2015-01-11 }}, Natural Kansas ;Maps * Ellsworth County Maps: [http://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/county-pdf/ellsworth.PDF Current] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021014410/http://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/county-pdf/ellsworth.pdf |date=2020-10-21 }}, [http://www.ksdot.org/bureaus/burtransplan/maps/PastPublishedCounty.asp Historic] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702055713/http://ksdot.org/bureaus/burtransplan/maps/PastPublishedCounty.asp |date=2014-07-02 }}, KDOT

Category:Dams completed in 1948 Category:Dams in Kansas Category:Reservoirs in Kansas Category:United States Army Corps of Engineers dams Category:Buildings and structures in Ellsworth County, Kansas Category:Bodies of water of Ellsworth County, Kansas Category:1948 establishments in Kansas