Cheney Reservoir Water Level
Kansas · North Fork Ninnescah River
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Water level history
About Cheney Reservoir
Cheney Reservoir is a reservoir on the North Fork Ninnescah River in Kansas, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It supplies much of Wichita's water and is a top sailing lake. Its full summer pool sits at 1421.6 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Cheney Reservoir's water level
Cheney Reservoir is Wichita's water account. The Bureau of Reclamation built it on the North Fork of the Ninnescah between 1962 and 1965, storage began when the outlet gates closed on 5 November 1964, and the City of Wichita has operated the federal facilities since October 1965, pumping from a 93-cubic-foot-per-second plant at the dam through a five-foot pipeline to its treatment works. Cheney supplies about 60 percent of the city's water, with the Equus Beds aquifer providing the rest. Flood operations belong to the Corps of Engineers, with the conservation pool at 1,421.6 feet and the spillway at 1,429.
Because the city draws on it continuously, Cheney's level is a drought instrument rather than a recreation gauge. Wichita's restriction stages are triggered by the twelve-month average level within the conservation pool, with Stage 2 declared when the lake sits between 50 and 69 percent full. Five consecutive years of below-average rainfall drove the lake to a record low of 1,412.73 feet on 29 October 2024, roughly eight feet under normal and the lowest since 2013. The city entered Stage 1 in January 2023, escalated to Stage 2 in August 2024 with the city split into four quadrants on assigned watering days, and stepped back to Stage 1 in September 2025.
The other thing Cheney is known for is what grows in it. Cyanobacterial blooms have been recorded here since 1990, and the U.S. Geological Survey has sampled the reservoir with the city since 2001. Across fifteen years of samples, cyanobacteria appeared in about 84 percent of them, microcystin in just over half and geosmin in about a third. Microcystis appears to produce the toxin and Anabaena the geosmin, the earthy compound people taste in tap water at concentrations as low as five nanograms per litre. Abundance peaks between August and October. Above the water it is a different reputation entirely: the wind that comes off the Kansas prairie makes Cheney one of the better-known sailing lakes in the country, with the Ninnescah Sailing Association based in the West Shore area.
Cheney Reservoir — frequently asked
What is Cheney Reservoir's full pool elevation?
The top of the conservation pool is 1,421.6 feet above sea level. The spillway crest and top of the flood pool are at 1,429 feet, and the top of the dam is 1,454. The lake sits below conservation pool most of the time because Wichita is drawing from it continuously rather than because of any scheduled drawdown.
How much of Wichita's water comes from Cheney?
About 60 percent. The remaining 40 percent comes from the Equus Beds aquifer. The Bureau of Reclamation built the reservoir specifically as the Cheney Division of the Wichita Project, and the city has operated the federal facilities since 1965, pumping through a five-foot-diameter pipeline to its treatment plant.
What is Cheney's record low level?
1,412.73 feet on 29 October 2024, roughly eight feet below the conservation pool and the lowest reading since 2013. It followed five consecutive years of below-average precipitation. The lake was around 57 percent full in September 2024.
How do Wichita's watering restrictions relate to the lake level?
The city's drought stages are triggered by the twelve-month average level of Cheney within the conservation pool, with Stage 2 declared at 50 to 69 percent full. Wichita entered Stage 1 in January 2023, moved to Stage 2 in August 2024, and returned to Stage 1 in September 2025. Under Stage 1, odd addresses water Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, even addresses Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, none on Monday and none between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Why does Wichita tap water sometimes taste earthy?
Geosmin, produced by cyanobacteria in the reservoir. People can taste it at five nanograms per litre, far below any health concern. Blooms have occurred in Cheney since 1990, and long-term sampling found geosmin in about a third of samples, with abundance peaking from August through October. Researchers have linked the geosmin mainly to Anabaena and the microcystin toxin mainly to Microcystis.
Why is Cheney known for sailing?
Steady prairie wind over open water. Cheney is regularly described as one of the top sailing lakes in the United States, and the Ninnescah Sailing Association keeps its facilities in the West Shore area. Cheney State Park covers 1,913 acres around the reservoir with two marinas, six launching facilities and 22 launch lanes, plus an adjacent 5,200-acre wildlife area whose waterfowl refuge closes from 15 September to 15 March.
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