Bathymetric Survey
About
The Kansas Water Office performs several bathymetric surveys each year to measure reservoir storage capacity and maintain data on sedimentation.
Bathymetry is the measurement of the depth of water in oceans, seas or lakes.
To gather this measurement, the Kansas Water Office steers a boat up and down a reservoir while using a multibeam system to collect data on the reservoir floor beneath the boat. The multibeam system transmits sonar beams and records the echo intensity to determine the reservoir floor depth.
Reservoirs in Kansas are constantly filling with sediment from inflowing water, reducing storage space. Looking at the change in depth over time, gathered through these surveys, the KWO can determine the rate at which sediment has filled in the reservoir.
In 2025, the Kansas Water Office surveyed 3 reservoirs: Kanopolis, Fall River and Clinton. The data for these surveys is still being processed, but previous survey data can be found on the reservoirs page.
The program helps maintain the KWO's records on reservoir storage capacity and sedimentation rate.
Current Updates
So far, in 2026, the Kansas Water Office has completed a survey on Melvern.
Project Manager
Page Update: 5/28/2026