Dam & River Basin

The US Army Corps of Engineers constructed and operates Perry Dam. Located on the Delaware River in Jefferson County, Perry Lake is the fourth largest lake in the state of Kansas. The Delaware River and its tributaries Slough Creek, Rock Creek, and Evans Creek provide the inflow and valleys that form the lake area. The lake possesses over 160 miles of shoreline, 25,389 acres of flood control pool, 11,150 surface acres of multipurpose pool, and controls a drainage area of about 1,117 square miles in the comparatively humid region of northeast Kansas. Flood protection includes over three thousand acres downstream of the dam along the Delaware River and contributes to the protection of the Kansas River, Missouri River, and the Mississippi River. The communities of Perry, Lawrence, Bonner Springs, and Kansas City benefit from the flood control protection.

The dam consists of a rolled earth-fill embankment about 7,750 feet long, constructed to an elevation approximately 95 feet above the streambed with gated outlet works and a gated chute-type spillway in the left abutment. The outlet works is located in the center of the dam and includes several features. The outlet conduit, which is 23.5 feet in diameter and 564.25 feet long, extends through the earth embankment with approach and outlet channels. It is preceded by two rectangular passages of 11.75 feet wide and 23.5 feet high. Each passage contains an emergency gate and a service gate. Both gates are hydraulically operated. Discharges enter a concrete stilling basin immediately downstream of the outlet conduit. Two rows of staggered baffle blocks reduce the velocity of the water before it goes into the outlet channel. The intake structure and control tower contain all of the operating machinery and equipment. Additional pertinent data is listed below.

PERTINENT DATA

GENERAL

Authorization: Flood Control Act of 1954 (Public Law 83-780)
Date Construction Started: 16 March 1964
Closure of Dam: 2 August 1966
Date Placed in Operation: 15 January 1969
Multipurpose Pool Initially: 3 June 1970
Reached :  
Project Life: 100 years
Project Cost:  
Initial Construction Cost: $48,371,706 (1989 price levels)
Total Federal Cost: $49,095,918*
* Includes $ 724,212 for supplemental recreation development

DAM AND EMBANKMENT

Type: Rolled earthfill
Fill Quantity: 8,000,000 cubic yards
Top of Dam: 946.00 feet  msl
Length of dam (net): 7,750 feet
Damming Height: 95 feet from valley floor to top of flood pool
Maximum height above Streambed: 151 feet

SPILLWAY

Location: Left abutment
Number  size and type of gates: none
Type: Uncontrolled limited service
Crest Elevation: 922.00  msl
Width (crest): 300 feet
Discharge Capacity at Top of Surcharge Pool: 65,000 cfs

RESERVOIR

Multipurpose pool: From elevation 891.5 – 835.0
Flood control pool: From elevation 920.6 – 891.5
Surcharge: From elevation 941.2 – 920.6
Multipurpose pool storage: 209513 acre-feet
Flood control pool storage: 515795 acre-feet
Surcharge storage: 692375 acre-feet

OUTLET WORKS

Location: Near center of dam
River Outlet type: Gated
Number and size of conduits: 1 – 23.5’
Length of Conduit: 592 feet
Entrance Invert Elevation: 833.0 msl
Discharge Capacity Top Flood Pool @ 920.6 msl: 27500 cfs
Discharge Capacity Top Multipurpose Pool @ 891.5 msl: 21200 cfs
Service Gates number and sizes: 2 – 11.75’ X 23.5’
Emergency Gates: 2 – 11.75’ X 23.5’
Low Flow Gates: 2 – 2’ X 2’