Kanopolis Seep Stream Project

Kanopolis Seep Spring Conservation Project
Flatland Fly Fishers Inc. Wichita Kansas

Update – May 2010

In 2009 the conservation committee, chaired by Neal Hall, contacted Kansas Department of Wild-life and Parks Officer, Tommy Berger, and asked what could our club do to help with the improvement of Kanopolis Seep Stream. One of the issues that all streams face is bank erosion. To help with bank erosion it was asked if the club could provide and plant trees. In 2009 the club purchased and planted 15 trees. In 2010 Tommy Berger contacted Neal Hall and said more work had been done at Kanopolis Seep Stream and that more trees would be greatly appreciated. On May 22, a group of club members made the trip to Kanopolis and planted 8 more trees. After the trees were planted it gave the group time to fish the Seep Stream. We are planning an-other work day in September hope you are available to join us.

Update – Fall 2009

As most of you know we planted 15 River Birch trees and placed 10 floating log structures in the stream on May 29 – thanks to the help of the GREAT volunteers!!!! I want to thank the Flatland Fly Fishers for donating the trees and all your work and want to give you guys a little update on the survival of the trees.
We had a slight high water event after we placed the log structures and none moved from their locations. Most have accumulated nice algae mats around them and they are providing some good shade in those deeper pools. Our heavy equipment crew is scheduled in the week of July 13 to place some LARGE boulders in the pools at various locations – this is part of the Phase 2 project that included the trees and log structures.

I went back to the stream on 18 June to see how things were. Out of the 15 trees, only 4 were struggling – the ones we planted higher up on the banks. All the trees with their roots in the water or very near the water looked pretty good – a bit of transplant shock but not much. Three of the 4 struggling trees had major leaf drop and one was completely brown – no green leaves at all. So, we went back on June 22 and moved 3 of the 4 struggling trees down the bank to within a foot or two of the water. Counting the trees from south to north (downstream to upstream) – we moved numbers 1, 6, and 13. Number 12 was struggling but looked like it might make it so we left it – kind of as test. It will be interesting to see if the 3 trees we moved will recover. I’d hate to loose any at $40 a pop so we are trying to make sure they have a chance of surviving. There is no way I can water those trees periodically – those on the steeper banks would be real tough to water anyway!
And more good news – Luke Cory with the Corp of Engineers found some stimulus money through NRCS for a stream mitigation project and Ken Kuiper – NRCS biologist has picked the Kanopolis Seep Stream as their target mitigation stream. That means the there may be up to $80,000 to be spent on the stream – mainly to repair the eroding banks on the east side – those that could rapidly add sediment to our recently constructed pools. The project will also include some rock toe protection of those eroded areas and possibly some in-stream fish habitat in the form of lunker structures along with the toe protection. It may also include some in-stream rock structures in the non-pooled portion that will be designed to form pools on their own. It will also include the planting of some large tall trees up on the east berm to provide more shade for the water. KDWP will likely be the sponsoring agency for this project and it could happen as early as next year. MORE TROUT HABITAT AND LONGER LASTING TROUT HABI-TAT – YEA!!!!!

And, the USACE is planning to build a parking lot below the dam near where the road straightens out on the south end – their way of addressing the handicap accessible issue. That will get trout anglers closer to the stream area itself – that may be good or bad – depending on your prospective.
And, if approved by the Secretary and the Commission, on Jan 1 2010 there will be a regulation in effect:
Update on Kanopolis Trout Stream Work
Artificial bait only (lures or fly fishing) at power poles number 9 through number 16
This will include pools #2 and #3 in the center area of the stream – bait of any kind to include power bait, corn, marshmallows and worms will not be allowed!!!! We will be putting up clearly visible signs to designate this area both on the north and south ends.
So there looks to be a lot continuing to happen on the trout stream!! I hope the 100 degree heat did not cook the trout—I did still see some trout when I visited on the 18th of June but it got pretty hot after that!!! The jury is still out on trout survival—we’ll look hard later in the summer to see what we have left!!!

 

The Kanopolis Dam on the Smoky Hill River. The dam is about 20 miles West of Lindsborg Kansas.