Volume 43 - Issue 42 - October 17, 2024
State of Kansas
Department of Health and Environment
Notice of Water Quality Certification
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has drafted a water quality certification per Section 401 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) as requested by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Environmental Resources Section. A Power Point presentation containing a summary of the activities for the Tuttle Creek Reservoir Water Injection Dredging Demonstration Project can be found at https://usace.contentdm.oclc.org/utils/getfile/collection/p16021coll7/id/25655. The objective is to investigate the feasibility and potential positive and negative environmental outcomes from injecting water into the basin of the lake to restore storage. The USACE would calculate flow regimes of the lake to meter out sediment into the Big Blue River and ultimately the Kanas River. Willow Lake below the dam may also be impacted. Pre-project water quality, basin and biological condition data have been collected from in-lake, lake inlets, and downstream into both rivers. An adaptive management plan has also been developed to address extreme weather conditions or other circumstances that may jeopardize the integrity of the demonstration including environmental impacts.
The draft conditional 401 certification will be posted on the KDHE website at https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/1095/Section-401-Water-Quality-Certification on or before October 17, 2024. Persons wishing to comment on the referenced draft document must submit their comments in writing by email to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment at KDHE.NPS@ks.gov by November 17, 2024, if they wish to have their comments considered in the formulation of final determinations for 401 regarding this public notice. For more information, contact Scott Satterthwaite, Watershed Management Section, Bureau of Environmental Field Services, KDHE at Scott.Satterthwaite@ks.gov or KDHE.NPS@ks.gov.
Janet Stanek
Secretary
Department of Health and Environment
Doc. No. 052570