Officials monitoring water in Smoky
By MIKE CORN
The threat of flooding Monday made it a sure bet James Leiker and Craig Dare would be afield.
They are, after all, not at all unlike the flowers that rise up and bloom in the wake of spring rains.
It's just that they have a different mission.
Leiker, in his position as a program technician for the Kansas State University Research and Extension Service watershed program, was intent upon sampling the quality of the water.
Dare, at the Hays office of the U.S. Geological Survey, was intent upon measuring the amount of water flowing down the Smoky Hill River.
The USGS maintains a number of automated stream monitors in the region. But each time heavy rains fall, Dare and his crew take to the field to check the water and equipment.
Rainfall amounts Monday varied wildly, but there was at least one report of up to 6 inches of rain.
In Ellis County, however, the heaviest rainfall came along the Smoky Hill River where 3.6 inches fell, according to the Community Collaborative Rain, Snow and Hail Network.
At the Kansas State University Research Center south of Hays, only 0.4 of an inch was reported this morning. That was on top of the 0.26 reported Monday morning.
There were multiple reports of more than an inch of rain in central Trego County, the site of rains early Monday morning.
There is a promise of even more rain later today, as well as the threat of severe weather -- possibly even tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service.
Monday's rains pushed water levels higher on the Smoky Hill River, and late Monday afternoon, Dare and Leiker crossed paths on the Smoky.
Leiker, in fact, borrowed a sampling bottle from Dare so he could take a water sample from the Smoky Hill south of Ellis. Dare, meanwhile, used an old weight system to measure the height of the water below the bridge.
He then scampered down the river bank to find the high-water mark so he could measure how far the river had dropped as the waters rushed eastward.
By 4 p.m. -- just hours after the heavy rains stopped falling -- the river level had fallen nearly 6 inches.
Dare said he would call the National Weather Service in Dodge City, which monitors the area, to report his findings, which then was used by forecasters to modify the flow being predicted at Schoenchen.
Water levels on the Smoky Hill River just east of Schoenchen climbed rapidly, topping out at a depth of 8.21 feet.
This morning, the river was more than 7 feet deep, but that is well below the flood stage of 11 feet.
While Dare concentrated on water quantity, Leiker was more concerned about quality.
He was taking samples in advance of the river's crest in the hope of getting better samples, rather than wait until the rush of water dilutes what he is looking for.
Leiker said the samples he takes are tested for nitrogen, phosphorus, e-coli, coliform and suspended solids.
In short, he's looking for a snapshot of the quality of the water flowing down the Smoky Hill River and ultimately flowing into Kanopolis Reservoir in Ellsworth County.
Leiker takes water samples at 12 sites in Ellis County every other week. All told, he collects samples from 31 sites in Ellis, Russell and Ellsworth counties.
Those samples provide information on the quality of the water, or the problems that develop when heavy rains fall.
It was at the bridge crossing the Smoky on 180th that caused Leiker the greatest concern.
"This is dirty," he said of the water. "I don't think I've pulled anything this dirty before."
