Melvern Lake Water Level
Kansas · Marais des Cygnes River
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Water level history
About Melvern Lake
Melvern Lake is a reservoir on the Marais des Cygnes River in Kansas, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its full summer pool sits at 1036 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Melvern Lake's water level
Melvern Lake was built because of the 1951 flood. The Corps of Engineers bought out a stretch of the Marais des Cygnes valley in Osage County through eminent domain, built the dam between 1967 and 1972, and opened the lake for its first recreation season in 1974. Osage County's historical society has recorded oral histories from the families who were moved, and the ruins of at least one farmhouse still sit on public land. By the mid-2000s the project was credited with preventing more than 220 million dollars in downstream flood damage along the Marais des Cygnes, Osage, Missouri and Mississippi rivers.
Operationally, Melvern holds a conservation pool at 1,036 feet and a flood pool that runs all the way to 1,057, with an uncontrolled emergency spillway whose crest sits just half a foot higher. That is 21 feet of flood storage on a 349-square-mile watershed, which is a comfortable ratio, and it is why Melvern rides out most events without drama. When it does fill, it fills impressively: the record pool of 1,055.59 feet on 6 June 2019 came within a foot and a half of the top of the flood pool, beating the 1,053.44 feet recorded in June 1995.
About 50,000 acre-feet of the lake is water-supply storage serving more than fifty thousand people, including Osage City, Burlingame and a wholesale district covering Lebo, Waverly, Williamsburg, Quenemo, Pomona and Melvern. The Kansas Water Office prefers to release from Melvern on demand to hit a downstream target rather than running a continuous minimum release, which means summer outflow tracks downstream need rather than a fixed schedule. Low water is rare here: the lowest reading since the lake first filled is 1,029.91 feet in February 1992, and the 2013 drought only pulled it to 1,031.68.
Melvern Lake — frequently asked
What is Melvern Lake's full pool elevation?
The multipurpose or conservation pool is 1,036 feet above sea level, covering about 6,930 acres. The top of the flood-control pool is 1,057 feet, at which the lake spreads to roughly 13,950 acres. The emergency spillway is an uncontrolled chute with its crest at 1,057.5 feet, just above the top of the flood pool.
What are Melvern Lake's record high and low levels?
The record high is 1,055.59 feet on 6 June 2019, within about a foot and a half of the top of the flood pool. The previous record was 1,053.44 feet in June 1995, and the 1993 flood peaked at 1,048.30. The lowest reading since the lake first filled is 1,029.91 feet on 11 February 1992.
Why was Melvern Lake built?
Flood control on the Marais des Cygnes, prompted by the catastrophic Kansas flooding of 1951. Congress authorized it in 1954 and construction ran from 1967 to 1972. Its other authorized purposes are recreation, water supply, fish and wildlife management, and downstream water-quality improvement. As of 2005 it had prevented an estimated 220 million dollars in flood damage.
Who gets drinking water from Melvern Lake?
About 50,000 acre-feet of storage is dedicated to water supply, serving more than fifty thousand people. Osage City and Burlingame draw on it directly, as does a wholesale water district covering Lebo, Waverly, Williamsburg, Quenemo, Pomona and Melvern, plus a river assurance district serving Ottawa, Osawatomie and LaCygne.
Where do you camp and launch at Melvern Lake?
The Corps runs four parks, Outlet, Coeur d'Alene, Arrow Rock and Turkey Point, all with electric camping and most with ramps and fishing docks. Eisenhower State Park covers 1,785 acres on the north shore with three camping areas, two nine-lane boat ramps, cabins and a twenty-mile horse trail. There is also a private marina with fuel.
What fish are in Melvern Lake?
Walleye, crappie, white bass, channel and blue catfish, and both largemouth and smallmouth bass. The unusual one is sauger, which is not common in most Kansas reservoirs and is a genuine local distinction. Melvern is a designated water for zebra mussel, so clean, drain and dry rules apply.
Other lakes near Melvern Lake
- Toronto LakeKS
- Marion ReservoirKS
- Wilson LakeKS
- John Redmond ReservoirKS
- Big Hill LakeKS
- Fall River LakeKS
See current levels for all 12 Kansas lakes and reservoirs →
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