photo by: Richard Gwin

A couple found a small piece of asphalt in Burcham Park on Friday afternoon, May 27, 2016. The Kansas River has risen all day Friday and is expect to rise more on Saturday morning.

The beaches are under water, and the water is too high for the docks, but folks are still welcome to enjoy their Memorial Day weekend at Clinton Lake, Sue Gehrt said Friday.

Gehrt, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operations project manager for the lake, said inflow at the lake has been high, reaching 883.23 feet Friday afternoon — about 8 feet higher than its normal elevation of 875.5 feet. She said she’s expecting it to come up another 2 to 3 feet Saturday, and another 2 to 3 feet still on Sunday. Lake elevation is relative to sea level and does not refer to actual water depth.

Earlier this week, Gehrt said the Corps was allowing the release of 2,000 cubic feet of water per second; however, around 8 p.m. Thursday it shut down the releases completely, which is why the water is expected to rise so much.

The areas with the greatest impact are the beaches and boat ramps — Gehrt said two boat ramps were still open Friday afternoon, but if waters continue to rise, they may have to be closed as well.

She said about 10 of the lowest campsites had to be moved further up, away from the water, but there are still campsites available. But the picnic tables are fine, and people are “still able to camp and have a good weekend,” Gehrt said.

If people do go out in the water, Gehrt said, “remind them to be safe because the water’s high and there’s a lot of obstructions that they’re not used to.” She advises wearing life jackets and staying extra cautious.

Trouble at the Kaw

The Kansas River has also exceeded its banks into park area at Burcham Park and Riverfront Park, according to the city of Lawrence. Parks and Recreation has closed both parks because of the flooding, but parks will reopen once the river falls below the flood stage.

According to the National Weather Service, the river measured at 18.76 feet around 4 p.m. Friday in Lawrence. Parks close because of flooding at 18 feet. At 21.3 feet, sandbagging of the City of Lawrence Wastewater Treatment Plant is necessary, but the NWS forecast shows the river peaking at 19.3 feet.

In Lecompton, the river has nearly reached 19 feet, at which point “considerable agricultural flooding occurs,” according to the NWS. It is forecast to reach 19.5 feet by Saturday afternoon.

The city has also issued a stream and health advisory for Naismith Creek in the area of 31st and Louisiana streets. Potential elevated bacteria and contaminants may be present in the creek due to a sanitary sewer overflow, according to the city. No people or pets should enter the stream. The Utilities Department is monitoring the creek and conducting sampling and will rescind the advisory once samples show no health risk.