CHENEY, Kan. — With all of the rain over the past several weeks, rivers have been running high and lake levels at Cheney Reservoir are increasing.
As of noon on Friday, the lake level at Cheney was at 1,425 feet above sea level, or nearly 3.5 feet
above normal. So far, officials at the lake have kept spillway gates closed and have not released any water at this time, but that may change with the heavy rain that fell in parts of Reno County on Thursday. Currently, the flood control pool is about 41 percent full.
Officials at the park say that the high lake level hasn’t caused any problems other than some debris on the lake’s far west end. However, if more water does come in, it could start to consume some of the primitive camping areas along the shoreline, as well as swimming beaches.
The lake is getting ready for the first big bash of the summer with a Memorial Day crowd estimated at around 50,000 each year.