(MANHATTAN, KS – May 31, 2019) Outflow at Tuttle Creek Dam increased to 30,000 cubic feet per second at 12 p.m. on Friday, May 31, through the outlet works (the tubes). With the current outflow, lake elevation has stabilized. The Kansas River water levels continue to decrease.
“The key is the lake inflows are all reducing,” Riley County Emergency Management Director Pat Collins said. “And as long as we don’t get additional rain in the Tuttle Creek basin, we could see the lake elevation decreasing.”
The eastbound lane of the Blue River Road bridge at Cedar Creek in Pottawatomie County is closed to keep traffic off of the area behind the end of the bridge where the embankment is undermined. This is signed and coned off as a one-lane bridge until repairs can be made. This will not be possible until water levels recede. The bridge is open, but reduced to one lane.
An Evacuation Advisory remains in effect for areas of the Northview neighborhood including the Dix Addition, Berry Streets, Countryside Estates Mobile Home Park, Rocky Ford Mobile Home Park and parts of Hunters Island. Additional police officers continue to patrol the areas under the evacuation advisory to ensure safety and monitor water levels.
If residents in the advisory area wish to evacuate, the American Red Cross has a shelter location at Westview Church, 615 Gillespie Drive, for anyone in the potential flood area. This is a pet-friendly shelter, for pet owners also staying at the shelter.