The Wichita City Council has approved funding for repairs to the dam at Cheney Lake.
The project will cost the city $13.85 million. Portions of the dam have seen significant erosion and decay since the last repairs were completed in 2000. Gary Janzen with Public works says drought conditions will allow for the repairs to be done without lowering the lake level more.
The city hopes to have an agreement in place within 60 days and start construction soon after. The repair work will start above the water line and work upward. Should the lake level rise before the work is done, the city plans to have a clause in the contract to bring the work to a halt.
Previous repairs were also done in 1970, 1971 and 1981.
The council also approved a $400 thousand project to replace copper ion equipment at the Cheney pump station, used to eliminate zebra mussels. Another $600 thousand will go toward replacing spurlines at 60 groundwater wells the city maintains.
In other news, the city of Wichita has been awarded a $1 million grant by the U.S. Department of Transportation to help with traffic flow in the 21st and Broadway area of north Wichita.
The city will hire a consultant to complete a planning study for the corridor to find solutions to lessen the impacts of train traffic. The study will look at the frequency and duration of trains traveling in the area.
The study should begin January 1 and be completed within 16 to 18 months. It will include recommendations to lessen the impacts the trains have to motorists traveling along 21st Street.