The City of Wichita will lower the level of the Arkansas River for one week in order to conduct maintenance and cleanup work.
The river will be lowered starting Friday, November 24th and it will be brought down to about two feet deep. That will greatly reduce water flow down the fish ladder and boat pass at the Lincoln Street Dam. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks has asked the city to make some modifications there to reduce the long-term buildup of sediment.
The design of the fish ladder and boat pass supports recreation on the Big Arkansas River while allowing endangered and at-risk fish life to bypass and populate habitats where their numbers had been reduced over time.
While the river is lowered, the firm Veo will be hosting a river cleanup to retrieve scooters in the Big Arkansas River. The river will be raised back on December 1st.
