Big Hill Lake Water Level
Kansas · Big Hill Creek
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Water level history
About Big Hill Lake
Big Hill Lake is a reservoir on the Big Hill Creek in Kansas, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its full summer pool sits at 858 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Big Hill Lake's water level
Officially Pearson-Skubitz Big Hill Lake, renamed by Congress in 1978, this is the smallest catchment on the site by a wide margin: 37 square miles of Big Hill Creek in southeast Kansas, five miles east of Cherryvale. That tiny drainage is the single most useful fact about it. The lake fills slowly and drains slowly, and it does not produce the violent multi-day swings that the Verdigris reservoirs a short drive west do, because there is simply not enough ground upstream to deliver that much water at once.
The spillway is uncontrolled, a 400-foot broad-crested weir set in a saddle in the right abutment, and everything routine goes through a single conduit. Conservation pool is 858 feet holding about 25,300 acre-feet, and the flood pool reaches only 867.5 feet and about 37,700 acre-feet. That nine and a half feet of flood storage is modest by Kansas standards, and the lake spends most of its life close to full. In the modern record the pool has topped out at 864.10 feet in July 2021, still within the flood pool, and bottomed at 854.25 feet in December 2023.
The Corps describes Big Hill as one of the clearest lakes in Kansas, which is a comparison rather than a measurement: monitoring puts median Secchi depth around a metre and the lake is still classed as eutrophic. In a state where many reservoirs run under a foot of visibility, that is a real difference, and it is why the sand beach at Mound Valley draws the crowds it does. The water supply arrangement is worth getting right, because it is often misstated: Big Hill does not supply Parsons, which draws on its own lake and the Neosho River. It supplies a wholesale district serving about ten thousand people across Altamont, Bartlett, Cherryvale, Edna, Mound Valley and several rural water districts. Above the shoreline, the standout is a 17-mile horse trail with tethering areas and overnight parking, plus the mile-long Ruth Nixon Memorial Trail. Bicycles are not permitted on the lake trail.
Big Hill Lake — frequently asked
What is Big Hill Lake's full pool elevation?
The top of the conservation pool is 858 feet above sea level, holding about 25,300 acre-feet. The top of the flood-control pool is 867.5 feet and the top of the dam is 884. The spillway is an uncontrolled 400-foot broad-crested weir, so there are no gates to open and all routine release passes through a single conduit.
Why does Big Hill Lake stay near full pool?
Its drainage area is only 37 square miles, the smallest of any lake on this site. There is not enough ground upstream to deliver the sudden volumes that swing the Verdigris reservoirs nearby, so Big Hill fills gradually and drains gradually. Its flood pool is correspondingly modest at nine and a half feet, and the lake spends most of its time close to 858 feet.
What are Big Hill Lake's record levels?
In the modern record the highest pool is 864.10 feet, reached in July 2021, still within the flood-control pool. The May 2019 peak was 863.74 feet. The lowest is 854.25 feet on 21 December 2023, about four feet below conservation pool. The Corps does not publish an all-time pool of record for this lake.
Is Big Hill Lake really the clearest lake in Kansas?
The Corps describes it that way, and in a state where many reservoirs run under a foot of visibility the difference is real. But it is a comparison rather than a ranking: monitoring puts median Secchi depth around a metre and classes the lake as eutrophic. Clear for Kansas, not clear in absolute terms. The alcohol-free sand beach at Mound Valley is the main beneficiary.
Does Big Hill Lake supply Parsons?
No, and this is commonly got wrong. Parsons draws on Lake Parsons and the Neosho River. Big Hill supplies a public wholesale water supply district serving roughly ten thousand people, with members including Altamont, Bartlett, Cherryvale, Edna, Mound Valley and several Labette and Montgomery county rural water districts, under a Kansas Water Office marketing contract.
What trails are at Big Hill Lake?
The main one is a 17-mile horse trail with tethering areas and three parking areas that trail riders can camp in overnight. There is also the roughly one-mile Ruth Nixon Memorial Trail for hiking and wildlife viewing. Bicycles are not permitted on the lake trail, so do not plan a mountain bike trip here. Corps areas around the lake are Mound Valley, Timber Hill, Cherryvale, Overlook and Downstream Point.
Other lakes near Big Hill Lake
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