The water level in the Smoky Hill River has been gradually rising.

In Dickinson County the Emergency Management Director, Chancey Smith, said Tuesday there has been active sand bagging in Chapman, Abilene and Solomon. “They’re all doing active sand bagging around businesses and critical infrastructure to prepare for this water rising up and to keep the water out of it.”

Smith anticipated the water level for the Smoky Hill would be up over 30 feet. “When the water reaches 30 feet at the Smoky Hill River our county will be cut in half by the river.  It will be over every road through the county that we can’t get south of the river in our county without either going to Salina to 135 or to 77 Highway in Geary County.” Residents were advised to prepare for that possibility by getting their vehicles filled with fuel, purchasing groceries or medicines refilled.”

Smith noted many of the roads in Dickinson County have been wet for a long time so with water now running across them the roads are being taken out. “So if there’s a culvert there that culvert might not be there anymore. We’ve had several roads where the culverts are now gone and it’s an eight-foot hole with six inches of water on top of it. So it doesn’t look like much water. Don’t drive through water over gravel roads and roadways like that.

On Wednesday Smith said about 200 yards south of Sand Springs Road on Old Highway 40 water had eroded off about 20 feet of river bank. “The ballast actually from the railroad track was falling into the water. It was just a sheer cliff and under cutting under the railroad track. ” Smith added Union Pacific was notified and planned to bring in approximately 50 car loads of rock, large boulders, to put into the water to try and keep the tracks from going into the water.

 

By Dewey Terrill

JC Post

There were confirmed torndado sightings in Dickinson, Geary and Riley counties Tuesday.

No injuries have been reported.

The first tornado occurred in the 2100 Avenue – Rain Road area in Dickinson County where emergency management from Geary County reported there was a debris field. DIckinson County Emergency Management Director Chancey Smith reported six power poles were snapped off in that area. A later tornado was reported on the K-244 spur on the southeast corner of Milford Lake, and it then moved northeast.

Geary County Emergency Management Director Garry Berges reported tree damage. “So far it looks like mainly tree damage. We’re not seeing any structural damage at all. Our deputies, emergency management and the fire department have been out tracking where they saw the storms at, the funnel, the tornado. ” Later after more investigation the Sheriff’s Department reported that there some light shingle damage and a small metal shed was destroyed.

Berges stated it appeared that the tornado went across Milford Lake, went across the area just north of Klem’s, the housing area there, some tree damage down on McGeorge Road, across 77, and then was aloft and damaged some trees over in the 10000 block of Quarry Road. ” That storm stayed south of the town of Milford.

It is unclear at this point how many tornado cells actually touched down in Geary County.

The storm cell moved across into Riley County where there were tornado warnings for portions of the western and southwestern sides of the county.  A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for central Riley County and Pottawatomie County.

 

 

By Dewey Terrill

JC Post

Milford Lake is at its third highest level and is rising, and the Smoky Hill River is a concern.

Emergency management, public works, law enforcement, county and city officials, and the Corps of Engineers met Tuesday morning at the Geary County Emergency Management Office. They were told by Ken Wenger of the Corps of Engineers the reservoir is just shy of 20 feet high and closing in on the second highest level ever of 1,169.92 feet that was set in 1973. A total of 51 percent of the lake’s flood pool is occuppied by water.

There has been significant impact around the lake with high water but some campsites and roads are open. Three boat ramps including State Park North, Military marina and West Rolling Hills are open. There is a lot of debris floating in the lake which means boaters should be alert. It was noted that the marinas are in bad shape.

At the 1176.2 level water will go out over the emergency spillway and the highest elevation ever for the lake was 1181.94 set during the flood year of 1993. Corps of Engineers Project Manager Bill Whitworth said the Corps is requesting a waiver increasing the flooding downstream, but won’t know for another seek to ten days if any water can be release. “But the intent is to at lease offset, release what is coming into the lake so that we won’t go up any more.” The amount of release will be divided among reservoirs in greatest need, with Perry and Tuttle Creek in front of Milford Lake. Milford Lake has only able to release water at the low flow level of 25 cubic feet per second since March 2. if water does go over the spillway on the south side of the lake officials expect it to follow the same path as the flood in 1993 and could go over or breach K-57 Highway on the southeast side of the reservoir.

On May 29th the Corps will hold a public meeting from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Geary County 4-H / Senior Citizens center to discuss where Milford Lake stands in the overall flood control picture. There will be an update on the lake, the impact on recreation, what’s available and what isn’t, and the public will be able to ask questions if water does go over the spillway on the south side of the lake.

The Smoky Hill River is also up. That river runs along the south and east sides of Junction City, but at this point officials did not believe the levee between Junction City and Grandview Plaza was at risk, It was noted during the meeting that farther west there has been sand bagging work done in Chapman, Enteprise and Solomon. The Smoky Hill River was at the 28-foot level now and expected to to 31 feet by Friday in Dickinson County. Chapman Creek is at 20 feet and is expected to remain at about that level. Lyons Creek which runs through Dickinson and Geary County is expected to go up a 32-foot crest.  A lot of streams and creeks deliver water into the Smoky Hill River.

Officials confirmed that Dickinson County had obtained 7,250 sand bags issued by the Corps of Engineers, there are another 10,000 available at the Milford Lake Corps office and 100,000 additional sand bags stored at Fort Riley.

Representatives of different communities and organizations provided information. Junction City Fire Chief Terry Johnson announced that two water rescue teams are available and Sheriff Daniel Jackson said they will be obtaining an 18-foot flat bottom boat that can carry up to 10 people. There will be two deputies and two rescue swimmers available to go out on rescue missions. Jet skis and other rescue boats will also be available.

GIP Director Troy Livingston plans to identify properties in the flood plain and alert those owners and residents to be prepared if flooding develops.

Emergency shelters could be opened, if necessary, at the 12th Street Community Center and the Junction City Municipal Building Auditorium.

In Milford the mayor Brad Roether said he will meet with city staff about the steps that could have to be taken if the water gets close in the next few days to a sewer line.  Some action would be necessary. He estimated another three-foot rise in the lake level would be necessary. “We’ve got some sewers that we’re going to have to tap. We’ll have to put a plug in them to keep lake water from filling our lagoon. ”