Watershed Operations - Lyons Creek Watershed

Introduction

In rural Kansas, flooding is a frequent threat to farms and small communities. Lives and livelihoods are seriously impacted, and rebuilding efforts can strain local economies. Lyons Creek Site 15, a flood control dam, will provide needed protection to critical resources, such as agricultural land, roads, and bridges.

Project Description

• Location: Morris County, 1st Congressional District
• Federal Funding: $1,248,000
• Sponsor Funding: $40,000

Lyons Creek Site 15, a flood control dam, will provide protection from massive damage that is caused by heavy rains to agricultural land, roads, and rural communities. The dam is one of 17 planned for the Lyons Creek Watershed; 14 have already been built.

Partners

• USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service
• Lyons Creek Watershed Joint District No. 41
• Dickinson County Conservation District
• Geary County Conservation District
• Marion County Conservation District
• Morris County Conservation District
• City of Herrington

Benefits

When completed, the dam will provide the community over $33,000 in average annual flood protection benefits. Fifteen miles of stream corridor, with a floodplain that encompasses 45 farms and ranches and approximately 2,700 acres of agricultural lands, will benefit directly from improved flood protection. County roads and bridges used by residents will also be protected from flood damage.

Economic Opportunities

The flood control project will provide the community long-term economic opportunities. Reducing flood damage expenses for farmers and citizens alike means resources being made available elsewhere—on productive, proactive investments in land, business, and infrastructure.

Statewide Perspective

Making sound investments in our rural communities’ infrastructure, including flood prevention measures, is critical to the long-term economic health of the state.

Lyons Creek is out of its banks destroying newly planted crops. The Lyons Creek #15 dam will allow farmers to get their crops to market by reducing the threat of flooding in the fall.

Protected from flooding, fields like this produce bountiful yields.

The information on this page may also be downloaded (requires Adobe Reader).

Fact Sheet - Lyons Creek Watershed, Kansas (PDF; 445 KB)

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Last Modified: 02/01/2010