History of Glen Elder Dam
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Glen Elder Dam is a multiple purpose dam and reservoir constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation in Osborne and Mitchell Counties, on the Solomon River in north-central Kansas, just west of Glen Elder. Glen Elder Dam and Waconda Lake, one of the key flood control features of the Kansas River Basin.
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Waconda Lake Related Sites
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The dam provides a high degree of protection to the lower Solomon River Valley and, when operated in conjunction with other basin reservoirs, it effectively contributes to the control of flooding on the lower Smokey Hill and Kansas Rivers.
The principal features involved in the construction, of Glen Elder Dam are an earth-fill dam, embankment, dike, spillway, outlet works, and access, service and county roads. Bushman Construction Company submitted the low bid of $13,647,291.00 for the project. The dam was completed in December of 1968. It is 15,200 feet long with a maximum height of 115 feet above the Solomon River. A concrete spillway 644 feet wide controlled by 12 radial gates and separate river outlet works in a concrete conduit, 12 feet, 3 inches in diameter are incorporated in the structure. |
Spillway, Glen Elder Dam.
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The crest of the dam is at elevation 1,500.0 and with water at elevation 1,488.3 the top of the flood pool, the dam has a storage capacity of 976,000 acre feet. Sufficient storage has been provided above the conservation pool to protect the valley below the dam from a flood equal in magnitude to the flood that occurred in 1951--the greatest recorded flood in the history of the Solomon Valley.
Waconda Lake, created by Glen Elder Dam, has a shoreline of over 100 miles and covers 12,586 acres at elevation 1455.6, the top of the irrigation or conservation pool. The conservation pool provides 213,300-acre feet of storage for municipal water and irrigation purposes. Presently (1970) 2,000 acre feet of this storage is allocated to the City of Beloit as a source of municipal water with the remaining storage planned for use in the development of approximately 21,000 acres of irrigated farm land.
Many new forms and areas of recreation, for both area residents and visitors, have come about through the creation of Waconda Lake.
Waconda Lake, created by Glen Elder Dam, has a shoreline of over 100 miles and covers 12,586 acres at elevation 1455.6, the top of the irrigation or conservation pool. The conservation pool provides 213,300-acre feet of storage for municipal water and irrigation purposes. Presently (1970) 2,000 acre feet of this storage is allocated to the City of Beloit as a source of municipal water with the remaining storage planned for use in the development of approximately 21,000 acres of irrigated farm land.
Many new forms and areas of recreation, for both area residents and visitors, have come about through the creation of Waconda Lake.
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The Solomon Valley Flood Control & Water Conservation Association
The Solomon Valley Flood Control and Water Conservation Association was officially organized in Beloit, Kansas, February 24, 1959. The purpose of the Association was to promote a better understanding of WATER management for its beneficent use as it pertains to the Solomon Valley and its many tributaries. The organization was affiliated with the Missouri-Arkansas Basins Flood Control Conservation Association with headquarters in Kansas City. Next to the air we breathe, WATER is our most vital resource -- it is the common denominator of all people throughout the world and Solomon Valley in particular. |
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Our plants, our animals and our people throughout the world are dependent upon WATER for all our enterprises whether they are agriculture, industrial, municipal, or recreational. WATER is the lifeblood of humanity.
It was with this realization that this organization developed their objectives--flood control on the Solomon River, and conservation practices of irrigation, recreational, industrial, and municipal supplies.Still, the project was not readily accepted by a large number of area residents, many of which bitterly fought the project. The loss of farmsteads and family relocations, prime farm ground, cemeteries, landmarks, and more contributed greatly to the animosity. Their efforts proved to be in vain, and many still feel a loss nearly 40 years later.
Regular meetings of the executive committee, and directors up and down the valley were held from 1959 to when the ground-breaking ceremonies were held, October 1, 1964. Approximately, 6,000 persons attended the actual ground breaking ceremony at the dam site south of Glen Elder.
Construction of the dam following the groundbreaking continued at a pace ahead of schedule. The completion of the dam project was announced in 1968.
The Solomon Valley Flood Control and Water Conservation Association appreciates the aid given them by its members who are/were residents of the Solomon Valley. The support from those individuals, in part, is solely responsible for the Glen Elder Dam project. A project's success can only be measured by groups' and individuals' all out effort bringing success to the community.
It was with this realization that this organization developed their objectives--flood control on the Solomon River, and conservation practices of irrigation, recreational, industrial, and municipal supplies.Still, the project was not readily accepted by a large number of area residents, many of which bitterly fought the project. The loss of farmsteads and family relocations, prime farm ground, cemeteries, landmarks, and more contributed greatly to the animosity. Their efforts proved to be in vain, and many still feel a loss nearly 40 years later.
Regular meetings of the executive committee, and directors up and down the valley were held from 1959 to when the ground-breaking ceremonies were held, October 1, 1964. Approximately, 6,000 persons attended the actual ground breaking ceremony at the dam site south of Glen Elder.
Construction of the dam following the groundbreaking continued at a pace ahead of schedule. The completion of the dam project was announced in 1968.
The Solomon Valley Flood Control and Water Conservation Association appreciates the aid given them by its members who are/were residents of the Solomon Valley. The support from those individuals, in part, is solely responsible for the Glen Elder Dam project. A project's success can only be measured by groups' and individuals' all out effort bringing success to the community.
