Kirwin Reservoir
| Kirwin Reservoir | |
|---|---|
|
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| Location | Phillips County, Kansas |
| Coordinates | 39°39′22″N 99°09′40″W / 39.65611°N 99.16111°WCoordinates: 39°39′22″N 99°09′40″W / 39.65611°N 99.16111°W |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Primary inflows | North Fork Solomon River, Bow Creek |
| Primary outflows | North Fork Solomon River |
| Catchment area | 1,367 sq mi (3,540 km2) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Managing agency | U.S. Bureau of Reclamation |
| Built | March 1952 |
| First flooded | October 1955 |
| Max. length | 9 miles (14 km) |
| Surface area | 5,079 acres (20.55 km2) |
| Max. depth | 49 feet (15 m) |
| Water volume |
Full: 98,154 acre·ft (121,071,000 m3) Current (Nov. 2015): 34,199 acre·ft (42,184,000 m3) |
| Shore length1 | 37 miles (60 km) |
| Surface elevation |
Full: 1,729 ft (527 m) Current (Nov. 2015): 1,713 ft (522 m) |
| Settlements | Kirwin, Glade |
| References | |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Kirwin Reservoir is a reservoir in Phillips County, Kansas, United States. It is located next to the city of Kirwin in northern Kansas. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation built it and continues to operate it for the purposes of flood control and area irrigation. The Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge lies on its shores.
Following the agricultural devastation of the Dust Bowl during the 1930s, local residents and state officials advocated for construction of a dam in the Solomon River basin to create a reservoir for irrigation. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation began investigating potential sites in 1939. The Flood Control Act of 1944 authorized construction of Kirwin Dam and Reservoir as part of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program, but World War II and its aftermath delayed the effort.
Kirwin Irrigation District No. 1 organized in 1950. A massive flood of the entire Kansas River basin stoked public demand for flood control infrastructure. In response, the U.S. Congress passed an appropriation act directing the immediate construction of Kirwin Dam and Reservoir for flood control, but allowing for further study before starting irrigation operations. Construction of Kirwin Dam began in March 1952 and lasted until completion of the project in August 1955. Storage of water in the reservoir began in October 1955. The next month, contractors started building Kirwin Canal and its extensions east of the dam, finishing construction in January 1958.
Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1954 as an overlay project on the flood control and irrigation efforts at the site. The first such national refuge in Kansas, it was created to conserve and manage local wildlife, specifically migratory birds.
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Wikipedia