Producers Are Making a Difference in the Cheney Lake Watershed
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by Douglas S. Helmke, L.G. Producers are making a difference in the Cheney Lake Watershed he United States, feet high dam has a length of more There was probably little evaluation Bureau of Reclamation than 4.5 miles. The water quality of of the changes that would occur to (USBR), in the Department the North Fork Ninnescah River the quality of the water stored in a of the Interior, has seven was superior to that of the Arkansas shallow reservoir exposed to sun projects in Kansas. One of River, as there was very little and wind. Costs and support of the these projects is the Wichita industrial activity, if any, in the public, state agencies and ultimately TProject, Cheney Division. The watershed. But then, so was every the U.S. Congress were of much purpose of this project is to provide other source that was considered. higher priority. Because the overall a supplemental water supply to the costs of construction city of Wichita, flood control for and delivery of the downstream areas, and fish and water to Wichita from wildlife benefits. Cheney Dam and the Cheney site were Reservoir are the primary cheapest of any of the components of the project. other alternatives, this The city of Wichita originally site won. relied on wells in close proximity to Because the North the Arkansas River near the Wichita Fork Ninnescah River Water Company treatment plant. In is part of the larger the late 1930s, partly because of Arkansas River Basin, drought-induced low surface water flows and because of industrial Left: Strong winds from the pollution from upstream, the city northwest push large waves was forced to go to onto the face of Cheney Dam. the Equus Beds Aquifer to supply usable drinking water. Wichita’s post- World War II population growth, coupled with the USBR’s desire to add public water supply to their traditional irrigation development Doug Helmke mission, brought the Water Rights, city and the USBR Source Water Specialist together to discuss their mutual goals in 1949. Their conversation led to the construction of a dam, reservoir, pumping plant and pipeline. Water from Cheney Reservoir was delivered to Wichita 16 years later in 1965. The site of Cheney Dam was chosen primarily because of Because of Cheney Lake’s elevated location and flat topography, lake winds are allowed to economics. The valley of the North blow unimpeded across the lake. The ideal wind conditions delight landlocked sailors from Fork Ninnescah River at the dam’s Kansas and lure sailors from across the country to the many organized regadas scheduled location is so broad that the 126.2 throughout Cheney Lake’s long sailing season. 98 THE KANSAS LIFELINE March 2008 taste and odor conditions in their problem, Wichita asked the United drinking water. The fact that these States Geological Survey to analyze incidents came and went probably what constituent or constituents compounded the negative could be the cause or causes and to perception. Tap water could be identify what could be done to nearly tasteless and odorless for one abate them. It wasn’t long before algal blooms were identified. Algae are very prolific in the environment created by the reservoir. Sunshine, and for certain species The North Fork Ninnescah River near only some Castleton, Kansas, a few miles upstream of sunshine, Cheney Reservoir, is seldom more than a combined with few feet deep at base flow. strong winds to circulate the water storage projects like Cheney water, helps warm Dam fall under the Arkansas-White- the entire water Red Basins Inter-Agency month and for the next month be body with efficient mixing. Add Committee, which was established objectionable to consumers. some nutrients with some large in 1955. The Cheney Dam project Wichita needed a plan if they inflow events, and the recipe is was subject to scrutiny by the other were going to get the public to complete. seven member states and federal accept greater quantities of water After identifying the culprit, it agencies. The United States Public from Cheney Reservoir (which was time to take action. Treatment Health Service was one of the most would allow the city to continue to techniques for algal-induced taste critical of the project, and would not meet demand). To better understand and odor are neither easy nor cheap, give its support if the increase in the cause of the taste and odor so the best way to fix the problem is water use by Wichita would only cause a similar increase in pollution of the Arkansas River. Wichita, working with the Kansas State Board of Health, identified the pollution problems and the abatement programs that would address the problems. The Board of Health recommended to U.S. Public Health that federal aid be conditioned to Wichita’s adoption of the abatement programs. This recommendation was accepted. Environmental stewardship has been an important part of this project from the beginning. In the early years, Cheney Reservoir was helpful in meeting Wichita’s peak water demands. Wichita started relying on Cheney water to a much greater extent in the 1980s to meet increasing water demand. In 1990, the first of many incidents occurred in which patrons were able to detect objectionable March 2008 THE KANSAS LIFELINE 99 Producers are . through the control of nutrients odor problem. This task force funding from the city of Wichita, it reaching the lake. After identifying included many farmers and was was recognized that work could be phosphorus as the nutrient most chaired by one. It also included state done throughout the contributing exceeding water quality goals, more and federal agency representatives portions of the watershed. Cheney research was needed to find its and a representative from the city of Lake Watershed, Inc. was formed in source and transportation mode. Wichita. They held listening 1999 as an Internal Revenue Service Research of the watershed and Section 501c-3 non-profit reservoir determined that land in organization and now works in the agricultural production had the entire contributing watershed in capacity to contribute 2.9 Reno, Stafford, Pratt and times more phosphorus than Kingman counties. Cheney non-agricultural land, and Lake Watershed, Inc. is that agricultural practices governed by the CMC, accounted for approximately which is now a seven 65% of the phosphorus in the member board, with four water. However, if the persons representing specific phosphorus in fertilizers and areas of the watershed and three animal waste could be kept from persons elected at-large. reaching the streams, the natural The CMC remains active in occurrence of phosphorus in the meetings in the watershed, reviewed promoting their purpose, educating watershed’s soils would still cause the research that was recently their constituents and securing the recommended standard of 0.10 conducted regarding the potential funding for their various projects. milligrams per liter (mg/l) to be contaminants, developed a plan of They have a Web site that can be exceeded in the river. More “best action and searched for funding. accessed at www.cheney management practices” need to be The Reno County Conservation lakewatershed.org and has a implemented to control the sediment District established a subcommittee quarterly newsletter that is mailed to to which phosphorus is bonded from of local landowners which was their constituents. Signs have been reaching the river. Erosion control called the Citizens Management installed at stream crossings to will also help meet a secondary goal Committee (CMC) to guide the remind residents and visitors to the of prolonging the life of the watershed project. Composed of area that water quality protection is reservoir. many of the same farmers on the important. Demonstration projects The beginning of Cheney Lake task force, this committee was have been installed such as Watershed, Inc. was induced in the composed of landowners within the alternative livestock watering early 1990s when the Reno County watershed that wanted to implement systems, filter strips and rotational Conservation District and the farm-and-water-friendly practices. grazing practices. Agricultural Stabilization and Because the CMC was successful in The committee has promoted Conservation Service formed a task receiving Environmental Protection field days throughout the watershed force to explore the options Agency Section 319 non-point to highlight how producers have available to implement conservation source pollution control funds been able to reduce negative practices that might improve water through the Kansas Department of impacts to the water quality through quality related to Wichita’s taste and Health and Environment and also cost effective measures. One recent WHOLESALERS OF PIPE VALVES FITTINGS WATERWORKS SANITARY SEWER STORM SEWER 15347S. 169 Hwy Olathe, KS 66062 (913) 829-3300 WAYNE RUNNELS Fax: (913) 829-3993 Sales Res: (913) 856-6540 Mobile: (913) 837-0562 E-mail: [email protected] 1-800-829-7180 100 THE KANSAS LIFELINE March 2008 tour featured dairy farms. One farm practices from March 1995 through leaders. This cooperation, much of demonstrated its method of December 2007. While this is a which was established through allowing cattle to graze on a variety large amount of money (an average small meetings of individuals, was of vegetation, including crabgrass, of $68,892 per year), Wichita likely instrumental in making a complete, irrigated by center-pivot irrigation. collected this amount with an and more accurate, assessment of Another dairy farm featured its increase of only a few cents per the watershed system. Far left: The Cheney Dam, Wichita Project sign can be seen along the road below the dam on the south end of the lake. Left: A sunny day on Cheney is the norm for summers at the lake. The wind will most likely be there to cool off a boater or fisherman on the rotational grazing program which hottest of days.