In 1954, old-timers like to recall, drought and heat made the much of Neosho River a dry stream bed.
Construction equipment was dispatched upstream to cut channels to permit water from deep holes to flow close enough to Iola to be processed.
In Chanute, which didn’t have dammed reservoirs comparable to Iola’s, more drastic measures were needed. Waste water, cleansed with generous helpings of chemicals, was recycled.
John Redmond Dam and Reservoir was a dream then, albeit one that Congress had appropriated funds to build.
This year the Neosho has continued to trickle with water released from Redmond’s reservoir. About 160 cubic feet is flowing from the lake each second, enough to meet needs downstream.
For the record, 160 cubic feet is about 1,200 gallons. That translates to 4.3 millions gallons an hour, or over 100 million gallons a day. That is more than is drawn from the river daily for domestic, and other forms, of consumption. If it weren’t the river’s flow would cease.
As the accompanying story notes, reservoirs at Redmond, Council Grove and Marion have enough water impounded to ensure that the river won’t run dry for many months, even years.
A tour of the Redmond complex reveals much more than just a lake covering nearly 15 square miles with 59 miles of shoreline.
On either side, nestled in wooded areas, are campgrounds that beckon to folks who want to escape the rigors of work-a-day life and spend time explore what nature has to offer.
“We have 53 spaces (for camper trailers or vehicles) on the east side, 43 on the west,” said Gary Simmons, Army Corps of Engineers natural resources officer. “They’re unique because the spaces are among bottomland hardwoods, which give users opportunities to see lots of wildlife.
“It’s not unusual to see deer, raccoons and even bobcats,” Simmons said, as two wild turkeys strutted across a nearby road.
“We have many events, such as canoeing and fishing tournaments and a good portion (of area near the lake) is set aside for off-road vehicles,” he added.
An anticipated event each year is OK Kids — Outdoors Kansas for Kids — the first weekend after Labor Day.
“We had about 600 kids here last year,” Simmons said, participating in a catch-and-release fishing tournament and a myriad of outdoor activities and competitions.
Recreation fishing is a year-round draw for the reservoir, which is known for large catfish, caught in the lake as well as in the spillway below the dam.
The complex also is a sanctuary for animals native to eastern Kansas and untold thousands of birds and waterfowl. In the past few days flights of pelicans have started to show up at the lake, with rafts of them floating over mud flats near the dam, where they dine on small fish seeking fugitive from aquatic predators.
