Daily Archives: August 28, 2013

KC Blues Festival at Kaw Point

Saturday, August 31st at Kaw Point Park

Friends of the Kaw is proud to support the 2013 Kansas City Blues Festival at Kaw Point Park. The festival is Saturday, August 31 from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm and will have some of the best blues talent in Kansas City, and is sure to be a good time. The event will take place at scenic Kaw Point Park near te confluence of the Kansas andMissouri Rivers.

Tickets are only $10 in advance, or $15 at the gate. Festivities Begin at 11:00 in the morning, and includes numerous performers. For more information, or to purchase tickets, please visit www.kcbluessociety.org.

Dredging the Kaw Update

 From the Friends of the Kaw:


The latest news regarding Kansas River sand dredging may not be the greatest. The most recent project studying in-river dredging on the Kaw shows that the mining operations could be causing some serious damage to our river.

Beginning in 2012, the Friends of the Kaw received a grant from the Water Protection Network to work with the Kansas State University River Systems Research Group to monitor, and study, the effects of in-river sand dredging on the Kansas River. The first year of this study is coming to a close, and the most recent report from this project may help to confirm what users of the river have been saying for years. 

After surveying the dredge hole east of Topeka on several occasions, and in different river conditions, a significant impact on the bed of the river was found to take place around dredging operations. The step by step process of damage caused by dredge holes follows K-state researchers’ hypothesis closely.

  1. The initial sand removal causes a deep hole (nearly 30 feet below the normal river bed).

  2. Water flowing into the hole speeds up, and causes erosion heading upstream.

  3. As water slows down in the hole, some sediments being carried by the water are deposited.

  4. As the water leaves the downstream portion of the hole it picks up speed and causes erosion heading downstream.

As this process continues, it may result in an overall lowering of the river bed. This lowering will cause banks to collapse and the channel to widen, swallowing up valuable riverside property and aesthetic sand bars without discretion. Friends of the Kaw has long advocated for the elimination of dredging operations from the river before they result in irreparable damage. Results from this most recent study, and others, suggest that dredges do indeed significantly contribute to the problem of bed degradation.

This fall the US Army Corps of Engineers will complete their Environmental Assessment of the impacts of dredging. After the draft assessment is posted, there will be several weeks available for the public to comment and provide input on this crucial decision-making process.

Watch the KWF blog (www.kswildlife.org) and we will keep you posted on how you can have a significant influence on the Kansas River’s future..

There is Still Summer Left to Enjoy Kansas State Parks

State parks are ready for the last big weekends of summer

Make plans and reservations to visit a Kansas state park – there’s still plenty of summer fun left, and the weather is perfect.

It’s been a great summer, and Kansans have perhaps appreciated it more after the last two summers we’ve endured. Cooler temperatures and in many areas of the state, welcome rains have made the summer of 2013 one to remember. At most parks, low water levels are not a problem any longer, although a few parks ended up with too much of a good thing.

Water levels are normal or above at Kanopolis, Cheney, and El Dorado lakes, which experienced access and boating problems because of low water for much of the summer. Current water levels have boat ramps useable. It’s been a mild summer and water temperatures are perfect for boating, skiing and fishing.

For instance, water levels on Toronto Reservoir rose so high that parts of Cross Timbers State Park weren’t accessible. The water level has dropped since then, so the park will be open this weekend, however there will be some areas with mud and debris left by the water. High water at Elk City is going down, and boat ramps, docks and utility campsites are open. All facilities are expected to be ready by Memorial Weekend. Fall River State Park is open, even though the reservoir level is still high. While boat ramps are open and usable at these lakes, boaters should be alert to floating debris brought in by flooding.

All Kansas state parks are ready and waiting, so don’t miss the end of summer fun. Visit a state park this weekend and find out how much fun you and your family can have.