Hutch Post

CHENEY, Kan. — The Bureau of Land Management has opened the flood gates at Cheney Reservoir as the lake rose to a near record level of 1,430 feet above sea level. With that, the gates were opened slightly around 6 a.m. Plans are to increase the outflow over the rest of the day Wednesday.

Sedgwick County says release water will flow first along the 15 miles of the North Fork of the Ninnescah River from below the dam “to the confluence with the South Fork,” according to a news release from the county. That area is quickly flooding from the release and will continue to do so.

The Army Corps of Engineers determined Tuesday afternoon that the gates would stay closed, but when the lake quickly rose above the flood pool, the Bureau of Land Management took authority over the lake and made the decision to open the gates. Officials are warning people downstream from Cheney that flooding is likely and residents in flood-prone areas should take precautions.

As of 9 a.m., the lake level was at 1,429.8 feet with a spillway release of about 1,280 cubic feet per second. The lake is still taking in about 9,000 cubic feet per second from runoff and the Ninnescah River.