Thursday, March 7, 2013

As we continue to track the drought and the future of Wichita’s water supply, could El Dorado Reservoir really be the answer to Wichita’s water woes?

Good question.

According to El Dorado Public Utilities Director Kurt Bookout, it’s a no-brainer. Geographically, the 8,000-acre El Dorado Reservoir is located about equal distance from Wichita to the east as the 9,000-acre Cheney Reservoir is to Wichita from the west.

Bookout told me over 11 billion gallons of water flow in and out of El Dorado Lake every year. Not a drop is used. And Bookout says it’s an example of how much water is available that isn’t being touched.

A recent study commissioned by El Dorado shows that the lake could supply up to 10 million gallons of water a day without dropping lake levels.

But what about cost? Phase two of El Dorado’s study, which is expected to be completed by spring, will look at the cost of building a pipeline to Wichita and the cost of a water treatment plant.

El Dorado officials tell me that although Wichita has inquired in the past about drawing water from El Dorado Lake, there have been no formal requests to look into the matter.

If you have a good question, send it to me at news@kake.com or find me on Twitter at twitter.com/herndon10. I’ll answer your good question every Thursday on KAKE News at 10.