What We Do

The Corps of Engineers staff at Smithville Lake Project manages the land and water to provide benefits such as water supply, flood control, recreation, and wildlife management. Water quality improvement is also a very important task we are responsible for. The staff manages over 7000 acres of water with the help of the Missouri Department of Conservation and Missouri State Water Patrol. An additional 12,000 acres of land is also managed by the Corps staff.

The staff conducts dam safety inspections and maintains the dam and outlet works. Corps employees make water release changes to the Little Platte River in coordination with the Kansas City District Water Management Section.

There are 31 public access points in the wildlife management areas that are managed and maintained by Corps staff. These public access are open for a variety of activities such as hunting, sightseeing, bird watching, hiking and horseback riding. Management activities on these lands include the agricultural leasing program, wildlife and food plot program, grass strips, tree plantings, shoreline vegetation program and managed hunts.

Many maintenance activities are conducted by the Smithville Lake maintenance staff including, mowing, trimming, trash collection, trail and crossing maintenance and buoy placement and repair. Smithville Lake also contracts some of the many maintenance responsibilities such as dam mowing, refuse collection, janitorial services and lawn care. All contracts are managed by the Corps to insure that the services are provided for visitors to the lake.

Other activities that the Smithville Lake staff does are visitor assistance, public relations, real estate management, boundary line inspections, emergency management services, collection of weather data, lease inspections, coordination of special events, lake patrol, and project property control.