Kansas Water Office describes Tuttle Creek water‑injection dredge test; Corps to release first‑phase results Jan. 26

Connie Owen, director of the Kansas Water Office, told the House Committee on Water that a pilot water‑injection dredging (WID) demonstration at Tuttle Creek Lake has completed an initial 10‑day trial and produced detectable downstream turbidity but, in preliminary monitoring, did not exceed permitted water‑quality limits.

The WID test, federally authorized under the Flood Control Act of 1938 and supported by about $2 million from the state water plan fund, is intended to evaluate whether the technology—jet bars that create density currents to move sediment—can be an effective, economical tool for reservoir sediment management. "The objectives of this demonstration are to answer questions ... how much sediment can this technology move, how fast can it move it, what will it cost, what are the downstream effects," Owen said.

Owen told lawmakers the first demonstration period began Sept. 17 and included roughly 200 hours of active dredging over a 10‑day window. The program included bathymetric surveys and coordinated sediment and water‑quality monitoring by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Geological Survey. Committee presentation graphics and Owen’s remarks show turbidity spikes that correlate with the start and end of dredging operations; she said monitoring teams have documented a distinct turbidity signal tied to the operation.

Representative Smith pressed whether downstream water‑quality measurements exceeded regulatory limits. "We do have some initial findings that showed that the water quality values did not ever exceed permitted values," Owen said, adding that the Corps’ webinar on Jan. 26 will provide more detailed data and analysis.

Committee members asked about downstream flood‑risk implications if silt reduces channel capacity. Owen said downstream capacity and public‑water‑intake impacts are part of the ongoing study and that the Corps expects additional stakeholder outreach before the next demonstration phases. She also described the apparatus—built by Custom Dredge Works in Topeka—and explained why Tuttle Creek’s outflow characteristics make it a suitable test site, while other reservoirs (such as John Redmond) may require different technologies.

Owen said the demonstration’s total cost was about $9.1 million, with the state contributing $2 million and the Corps funding most remaining costs. She cautioned that ownership, operation and long‑term costs would need to be decided if the technology is deployed beyond demonstration: "Does the Corps own it? Does the state own it? Does the Corps operate it?" she said.

Next steps: the Corps will host a public webinar at 11 a.m. on Jan. 26 to present findings from the first dredging session; two additional demonstration periods are planned this spring and summer, and a final project report is expected late this year into next year.