The Great Flood of 1951 destroyed thousands of homes, farms and businesses in the US’ Kansas River Basin, causing over US$725m of damage, but leading to construction of one of the state’s most vital water resources – Tuttle Creek Dam and Reservoir.
With construction beginning in October 1952, the project became fully operational almost exactly ten years later in July 1962, and is the largest reservoir on the Kansas River Basin. Over 40% of the local population depend upon it for flood control and water supply, with many more utilising its recreational and environmental benefits.
However, the reservoir is now facing up to a significant challenge. Topsoil, silt and clay from the Big Blue River – a tributary of the Kansas River – are suspended and deposited into Tuttle Creek Reservoir as they travel through the water system, meaning that sedimentation is the biggest threat to maintaining enough water supply in reservoirs across Eastern Kansas.
Developing a solution
Since dam closure in 1962, 438 million cubic yards of sediment have accumulated at Tuttle Creek Lake. Sediment deposition has shrunk the surface area of the reservoir, which has buried boat ramps, cut off habitat in coves, led to the abandonment of water intakes and caused numerous other harmful effects. Currently half full of sediment, without intentional action the benefits of this resource will continue to diminish. Estimates indicate that by 2074 the multi-purpose pool will be 75% full of sediment, leaving only 25% of the original storage capacity, which by 2124, will diminish to only 7%.
At the heart of this long-term water supply security problem, the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Kansas Water Office have been working together to develop a solution.
“Water Injection Dredging [WID] was just one technology that we thought might be feasible,” said Laura Totten, project manager for the Tuttle Creek Reservoir Water Injection Dredging Demonstration Project at the Kansas City District.
“This project represents a significant step forward in exploring sustainable dredging techniques to restore water storage capacity and evaluate the associated environmental effects,” she added.
Cost-effective solution
WID is a process by which a barge with a special jet bar produces low-pressure, high-volume jets of water drawn from the lake. The jet bar is lowered into the water and when it’s activated, sediment is stirred up to form a mixture of sediment and water. This mixture joins the underwater current flowing toward the dam’s outlet and works its way into the downstream channel.
Unlike traditional dredging where sediment is pumped out of the water and onto an adjacent piece of land to be disposed of later, Water Injection Dredging requires less equipment and energy, making it a more cost-effective option.
“We have a number of reservoirs throughout the state and if we’re really trying to solve our water supply and sedimentation issues at those reservoirs, the costs escalate pretty quickly,” said Josh Olson from the Kansas Water Office. “Coming up with the most effective way of dealing with the solution is really fundamentally important for actually solving the problem.”
Although an established technology, water injection dredging has never been used to manage sediment in a reservoir before. Acknowledging this is a new application, Olson said: “We know it works for sediment management in other situations. So, the test here is really, can we use it in a reservoir?”
Pilot project
This is where the water injection dredging pilot project comes into play. A collaborative effort between USACE, the Kansas Water Office, other state and federal agencies, and multiple research universities, it is testing to see if WID is a potential alternative to traditional mechanical dredging sedimentation management within inland reservoirs, such as Tuttle Creek.
The pilot project will consist of three dredging periods. The first one occurred from 17-26 September 2025 and the second took place from 17-27 March 2026, with the third set for this summer.
During the demonstration period, USACE and its partners are closely monitoring the following key aspects:
• Sediment transport: analysing the movement and dispersal of sediment after injection.
• Environmental impacts: monitoring water quality, aquatic life and potential impacts on sensitive areas.
• Operational efficiency: evaluating the speed, cost and overall efficiency of the WID process.
Spreading out the dredging periods will allow the project team to collect data to determine if there are seasonal impacts downstream. And as data has been collected from the downstream channel for a number of years to give a good baseline, this means any concerning changes can be detected when doing the pilot dredging.
Preliminary data obtained from all three dredging periods will be analysed to determine if the project is an effective solution for managing sediment in a reservoir. However, even if it’s determined water injection dredging is not feasible or effective for maintaining storage capacity at Tuttle Creek Reservoir, the pilot project will provide critical information for the sediment management industry.
Totten said the team is keen to share this information and wants to help others as “a lot of people are working on sediment management worldwide”, and their research will be of great value for them as well.
Indeed, if successful, water injection dredging could be used in more reservoirs across the state, the country, and even the world.
