Kanopolis Lake Water Level
Kanopolis Lake is at 1,466.43 ft today (Oct 31), 3.43 ft above its 1,463 ft full pool, down 0.19 ft this week.
Kansas · Smoky Hill River
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Water level history
About Kanopolis Lake
Kanopolis Lake is a reservoir on the Smoky Hill River in Kansas, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It was the first Corps reservoir built in Kansas. Its full summer pool sits at 1463 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Kanopolis Lake's water level
Kanopolis was where federal reservoir building in Kansas started. The Flood Control Act of 1938 authorized the dam after that year's Smoky Hill River flood tore through homesteads in the valley, and the Corps broke ground in June 1940. World War II stopped the work in 1942, and the reservoir did not begin storing water until February 17, 1948. The Kansas Water Office counts it as the first of the 24 federal reservoirs built in the state between 1940 and 1982, the last being Hillsdale. The dam is about 15,360 feet long and 131 feet high, sitting in eastern Ellsworth County roughly 33 miles southwest of Salina. It controls about 2,330 square miles of the Smoky Hill basin and works in tandem with Cedar Bluff Reservoir, a Bureau of Reclamation project upstream, to regulate flows on the river. The Kansas City District still runs it.
The level you see moves on a seasonal plan the Kansas Water Office publishes each water year. Conservation pool is 1,463 feet, which is also the crest of an uncontrolled weir: once the lake rises above it, water spills on its own. In the current plan the Corps tries to bank fall inflows toward 1,467.5 feet, uses a notch to ease the lake back to 1,463 in the first two weeks of January to limit ice damage, holds it there until mid-March, then lets it climb back toward 1,467.5 for spring and summer. From mid-May through September, releases between those two elevations go out through the uncontrolled port so the summer pool holds. Above that sits a flood pool reaching 1,508 feet, 45 feet over the conservation level, around a lake that normally covers about 3,400 to 3,500 acres. Kanopolis is shallow, with a maximum depth near 35 feet, so a few feet change the shoreline quickly.
Three floods define the record. In 1951 the lake rose to 1,506.6 feet, about 43 feet above conservation pool and within a couple of feet of the top of the flood pool. In 1993 it came within inches of that mark at 1,505.9. In late May and June 2019 it crested a little over 1,496 feet, the third highest on record; nearly every ramp and campground closed, only the Riverside area below the dam stayed open, and state park attendance fell from 251,000 to 192,000 that year. The weak shale under the outlet channel has eroded ever since 1951, and the Corps began a roughly $6 million rebuild of the channel floor in October 2025, the first major repair since 1948. Part of the lake's storage is water supply: the state bought storage in 2002 and sells it through its Water Marketing and Water Assurance programs, and Post Rock Rural Water District draws from the lake to serve farms and towns.
Kanopolis Lake — frequently asked
What is Kanopolis Lake's full pool level?
Conservation pool is 1,463 feet, which matches the figure on this page. It is also the crest of an uncontrolled weir, so water spills on its own once the lake rises above it. The seasonal plan usually aims for a spring and summer pool up to 1,467.5 feet, about four and a half feet higher. The flood pool tops out at 1,508 feet.
What is the highest Kanopolis Lake has ever been?
1,506.6 feet in 1951, about 43 feet above conservation pool. The 1993 flood came within inches at 1,505.9 feet. The 2019 flood ranks third at a little over 1,496 feet, crest coming in early June. The recent high shown on this page's gauge, 1,471.7 feet in 2026, covers only about the last six years and is not an all time record.
Why is Kanopolis Lake below its normal level in winter?
It is on purpose. Under the Kansas Water Office lake level plan, the Corps draws the lake back down to 1,463 feet between January 1 and January 15 to reduce the chance of ice damage, using a notch for a slow release. The lake is then held at 1,463 until March 15, after which it is allowed to rise toward 1,467.5 feet for spring and summer.
Why has Kanopolis Lake been low in recent years?
Mostly from low inflow off the Smoky Hill River in dry years. The low on this page's gauge, 1,459.62 feet, came in 2023, and in June 2026 the Corps reported the lake had nearly reached its summer target for the first time since July 2022. Planned work also lowers it at times: it was held at 1,461 feet for dive work during service gate replacement, and drawn down to 1,461 again in September 2025.
Was Kanopolis the first reservoir in Kansas?
It was the first federal one. The Kansas Water Office lists Kanopolis as the first of 24 federal reservoirs built in the state between 1940 and 1982. It was also the first reservoir built in the Corps' Kansas City District. Construction began in 1940, paused during World War II, and the lake started filling on February 17, 1948.
Is Kanopolis State Park the first state park in Kansas?
Yes. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks calls it the first state park in Kansas and says it has drawn visitors since 1955. The park and the surrounding Smoky Hill Wildlife Area hold more than 30 miles of trails, including Horsethief Canyon with its Dakota sandstone bluffs and creek crossings, and the Faris Caves that early settlers carved for use as a milk house, school and living quarters.
What fish are in Kanopolis Lake?
State biologists rate channel and blue catfish, crappie and white bass as good, with saugeye and wipers fair. Saugeye carry an 18 inch minimum and blue catfish a 35 inch minimum. Blue catfish have been stocked since 2008, and fish stocked in 2017 reached 20 inches in three years. Trout are stocked seasonally in the seep stream below the dam.
Other lakes near Kanopolis Lake
- Lovewell ReservoirKS
- John Redmond ReservoirKS
- Marion ReservoirKS
- Hillsdale LakeKS
- Melvern LakeKS
- Fall River LakeKS
See current levels for all 21 Kansas lakes and reservoirs →
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