Kanopolis Lake,
Kansas

Kanopolis Lake, one of the oldest in Kansas, with a normal pool surface of about 3,000 acres, attracts many thousands of campers, hunters, fishermen, and water sports enthusiasts each year. The lake is less than 10 miles from downtown Kanopolis.

 

Four developed parks meet the needs of the visiting public by providing lake access, parking areas, drinking water, swimming beaches, boat ramps, and camping and picnicking facilities. Two of these areas, Langley Point and Horsethief, are managed by Kansas Department of Wildlife and parks. A marina concession at Langley Point offers boat slip rental, gas and oil, a general store, and a snack bar.

Riverside and Venango Parks are managed by the Corps of Engineers. Riverside Park, located at the north end of the dam, provides a full range of developed recreational facilities including campgrounds, picnic shelters, a swimming beach, and motorcycle trail. In addition, the Corps maintains the Yankee Run and Boldt Bluff, access areas located along the west side of the lake for fishing, primitive camping, and day-use activities.

A unique recreational and educational experience is in store for those who travel the Legacy Trail, an auto tour highlighting historically significant sites in the lake area. Trail maps are available at the Information Center.

The Incident of the Dropped Bombs
On July 19, 2006 a B-52 bomber from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana dropped nine concrete practice bombs into Lake Kanopolis. No one was injured. The bomber dropped the bombs on its way to the Smoky Hill Air National Guard bombing range near Salina. The lake in about seven miles from the bombing range. The Air Force later blamed the problem on "human error." We can at least be sure, then, that no wildlife from the area was to blame.

Some facts about the lake from the U.S. Corps of Engineers:
Lands around the lake are managed by the Corps of Engineers to preserve their natural value. Land management practices such as prairie restoration, prescribed burning and tree planting help conserve soil and benefit wildlife. Kanopolis Lake is one unit in a system of lakes in the Smoky Hill and Kansas River Basins. Kanopolis operates in tandem with upstream Cedar Bluff Reservoir, a Bureau of Reclamation project, to regulate flows in the Smoky Hill River Basin. A portion of the lake storage is used to provide water to Post Rock Rural Water District, which in turn, supplies many Kansas farms and communities

Elevation, feet above mean sea level:
Top flood control pool ……………………………. 1,507
Top multipurpose pool ……………………………. 1,463
Surface area, acres:
Top flood control pool …………………………… 418,752
Top multipurpose pool …………………………… 3,406
Shoreline, mi. (flood control pool)…………………….. 134
Shoreline, mi. (multipurpose pool) …………………….. 41

Many of these pages have used information from Wikipedia as their basis. Other information has been added by site owners as it is found and as time permits . We also invite users to submit info to be added to the site.
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