Two floods in a week brought tons of silt and debris through Lemon Park and deposited much of it in Lemon Park Lake on the east side of the park.
The deposit of silt will be soured out sometime in December but the city park department will not be in charge of the operation. The lake, dam and about ten acres in the park area belong to Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, said Kyle Austin, fish hatchery supervisor.
The lake and dam make up the water storage facility for the fish ponds at the KDWP hatchery. The scouring is done in December because the ponds are empty and the lake water is not needed to feed the ponds, Austin said.
A valve will be opened on a 42-inch pipe that will allow the water to run through the bottom of the dam rather than run over the top. The river’s scouring action will naturally take care of the silt problem.
“We pull the plug and it drains the lake,” Austin said. “The river eats out the channel and scours out the silt.”
This process is done every year and it helps keep the silt from collecting in the pond and becoming a problem on the end of the dam with the drainage system.
An 18-inch gravity flow line runs about a half mile from the dam to the hatchery. It provides the water for the ponds throughout the breeding, hatching and growing season.
A filter in front of the intake pipe helps prevent predator fish from getting into the ponds and eating the desired breeding fish, Austin said.
Without the screens, unwanted predators could cause substantial damage to the KDWP breeding program.
The screens have to be kept clean to not only help prevent predators from getting into the breeding ponds but also to help maintain water quality and oxygen levels, both elements vital to running a successful breeding program.
“Good water is necessary when you are trying to raise fish,” Austin said.
When the lake is drained, KDWP coordinates with the city parks department to make the operation run smoothly.
The lake and dam have been in operation in the park for several decades possibly up to or over 80 years. The lake has been drained many times over the years and continues to provide a reliable source of water for KDWP.
Extra work may be necessary to remove tree debris from the lake channel once the valve has been opened and the channel exposed.
When the floods came through Lemon Park and before they reached the park, they picked up lots of tree debris. Just how much of that debris landed in the lake and might be lodged in the river channel or against the dam won’t be known until it is drained in December.
Besides maintaining the lake and dam, KDWP also stocks the lake to insure good fishing opportunities for the public.
The Lemon Park Lake is one of over 200 community lakes KDWP helps manage fish populations.
