photo by: Ashley Golledge

Water from Clinton Lake is released into the Wakarusa River on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019.

Updated at 7:43 p.m. Tuesday

It has been a record-breaking summer at Clinton Lake, where the water level surpassed a high set 24 years ago.

On Tuesday the lake was at 895 feet above sea level, which was 19.5 feet above its norm of 875.5 feet. That brings the lake down 2 feet below the record high of 897 feet set in July. The old record of 892.48 feet was set in May 1995.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers planned to release more water at Clinton Lake Tuesday afternoon, according to R.J. Harms, project manager at Perry and Clinton lakes. A reporter on scene saw water being released from the lake Tuesday evening.

The Corps of Engineers has been attempting to release water throughout the summer, Harms said, but it’s been forced to stop each time another heavy storm passed through, which is why the water level hasn’t dropped much.

Releases last week were shut off because of another round of localized heavy rain affecting the Wakarusa River and Washington Creek at Lone Star, Harms said.

“If there is not enough room downstream, we shut it off,” he said. “Later today and for several days we will be releasing 3,000 cubic feet a second. That should bring the lake down a half a foot a day.”

The United States Geological Survey has not updated its webpage and still lists Clinton Lake’s record peak of 892.48 feet on May 29, 1995. When they do the update, Harms said, it will reflect the current peak of 897 feet in July.

As the water recedes at Clinton, park employees are gaining a glimpse of some of the property damage caused by the high water, said Samantha Jones, park manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Most of the damage they have seen so far, Jones said, has been at the Bloomington Beach Public Use Area. At the shower house, water has damaged a portion of the brick exterior walls and the concrete interior. The entire frame of the bathhouse door is gone. Plus, there is damage in the building housing the toilets. Damage has also been observed in one of the day-use shelters, while others remain partially underwater.

“Erosion is a huge issue where the water has been up in parking lots, the beach area and in the campgrounds,” Jones said. “Even where the water didn’t get to, we have a lot of erosion from the heavy rains.”

While it’s too soon for a precise damage estimate, Jones said Clinton was likely looking at hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.

photo by: Clinton Lake U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

The Clinton Lake shelter No. 5 at Bloomington Beach is pictured in this photo posted Friday, Aug. 30, 2019, by the Clinton Lake U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

photo by: Clinton Lake U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The flooded and damaged Bloomington Beach showerhouse at Clinton Lake is pictured in this photo posted Friday, Aug. 30, 2019, by the Clinton Lake U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

photo by: Clinton Lake U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The flooded and damaged Bloomington Beach showerhouse at Clinton Lake is pictured in this photo posted Friday, Aug. 30, 2019, by the Clinton Lake U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

photo by: Ashley Golledge

A staircase is submerged as water from Clinton Lake is released into the Wakarusa River on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019.

photo by: Ashley Golledge

Long Vang goes fishing as water is released from Clinton Lake into the Wakarusa River on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019.

photo by: Ashley Golledge

Long Vang goes fishing as water is released from Clinton Lake into the Wakarusa River on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019.

photo by: Ashley Golledge

Water from Clinton Lake is released into the Wakarusa River on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019.

photo by: Ashley Golledge

Kong Vang goes fishing as water is released from Clinton Lake into the Wakarusa River on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019.

photo by: Ashley Golledge

The water level at Clinton Lake remains extraordinarily high on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019.