The Kansas City District Corps of Engineers and their partners are encouraging the public to attend public scoping meetings in the Kansas River Basin to provide input on the Kansas River Reservoirs Flood and Sediment Study, a joint federal and state watershed study effort.
The Corps of Engineers, Kansas Water Office and the Kansas Department of Wildlife, parks and Tourism are in the early stages of a five-year watershed study to develop a long-term plan for the basin's water resources and infrastructure. The study provides a way to review existing and possible future conditions in the basin, lake and river basin management and to investigate ways to extend the useful life of the 18 federal reservoirs in the basin by by increasing resiliency and maintaining capacity.
Four public scoping meetings are planned to hear and document specific ideas, concerns and opinions and to ensure the public is incorporated into the watershed study. These will be open house, come-and-go style meetings where the public can ask questions and discuss concerns one-on-one with agency staff.
The meetings include two in the Junction City - Manhattan area. One is scheduled Dec. 2nd at the Manhattan Fire Department and another at the Geary County 4-H / Senior Citizens Center on Dec. 10th. Additional meetings are scheduled on Dec. 5th at the American Legion Post 174 in Ellsworth and on Dec. 12th at Perry Lecompton High School in Perry, Kansas. All meeting times are 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
A brief overview of the study will be formally presented each evening at 7 p.m.