Tuttle Creek Lake Levels Rebound After Falling Nearly 10 Feet Below Normal Levels

In the past few weeks, Tuttle Creek Lake near Manhattan has experienced a rise in water levels due to recent heavy rainfall. By 10:40 a.m. on Friday, the lake level had reached 1,079.99 feet, which is approximately 5 feet higher than the normal pool level of 1,075 feet. This increase comes after the lake level had dropped significantly, falling nearly 10 feet below the normal pool level earlier in 2024.

The rise in water levels is attributed to the combined inflow of water from the Little Blue, Big Blue, and Black Vermillion rivers, which is estimated to be around 2,315 cubic feet per second. The peak inflow occurred on Wednesday, with a flow rate of approximately 12,000 cubic feet per second into the reservoir. Currently, the Army Corps of Engineers is releasing 1,370 cubic feet per second of water downstream into the Kansas River, an increase from the previous release rate of 200 cubic feet per second.

Looking ahead, the 3-day forecast for Tuttle Creek Lake indicates that the outflow will continue to increase, reaching 3,125 cubic feet per second on Saturday and further rising to 5,000 cubic feet per second on Sunday and Monday. With the expected increase in outflow, the lake level is projected to drop to 1,078.38 feet on Sunday.

Current lake conditions can be found here: https://water.usace.army.mil/a2w/f?p=100:1:0::::P1_LINK:5722030-CWMS