Cheney Lake, Kansas

Cheney Reservoir Stats

Geography and Ecology

Cheney Lake is located on the Ninnescah River, in three counties (Reno, Kingman and Sedgwick). It is bordered by three nature reserves, the Cheney State Park, Cheney Wildlife Area and the Blue River Wildlife Area.

The man-made lake is fed by a number of smaller streams and creeks, including Silver Creek, Goose Creek, Wolf Creek and Red Rock Creek. It is the primary supplier of water fir the city Wichita, which has a population of more than 350,000 inhabitants.

The uplands are mainly characterized by clay-loamy soils, whilst the bottomlands are sandy. Among the main fish that can be found here one can enumerate Zebra Mussels, White bass, walleye, crappie, Channel catfish and White perch.

Construction of the Dam

Cheney Dam was constructed in the ‘60s by the United States Bureau of Reclamation, and it is still operated by them today. It has a height of 38 meters and a length of 7454 meters. Its mid-section is situated in Sedgwick, its Eastern part belongs to Reno and its Western wing is part of Kingman County. The dam helps with the flood control on the precinct and supplies water for a number of towns and cities, and is part of the larger Wichita project.

Tourism and Leisure

Tourists can enjoy a number of outdoor activities on and around Cheney Lake like sailing, fishing, hunting, boating, camping and hiking in the nearby nature reserves. It is a prime spot for sailing, hosting many national regattas. The most common fish in the reservoir are the crappie, catfish, and the striped bass.

Cheney State Park has a mix of primitive and utility camping and has many designated picnic, swimming and fishing areas. There is also a sailing center on the precinct.

Cheney Wildlife Area is ideal for wildlife and bird-watching, nature photography and hunting.