A major project to renovate Edgerton City Lake and its accompanying dam and spillway could cost the city nearly $7 million. 

It’s a potentially steep price tag, city officials say, but one that may need to be borne to improve one of the southern Johnson County city’s most popular public amenities.

It would also be the first time the lake and dam would be renovated since they were first created in the 1890s to accommodate passing steam engine trains.

At the July 25 Edgerton City Council work session, engineering and design consultant Affinis provided a report laying out the needed improvements. 

The firm is recommending the city dredge 63 cubic yards of the lake with up to eight feet of sediment to improve the water quality “significantly,” help prevent runoff, stabilize the lake banks to prevent further erosion, raise the dam with a truss bridge and rehab the land bridge for a total projected cost of $6.7 million.

A historical site in Edgerton

The lake sits on the northern end of downtown, east of the railroad tracks and three blocks south of US Highway 56 near East 6th Street and East Nelson Street.

Edgerton was founded in 1870 when the Santa Fe Railroad extended to the southern end of Johnson County. The U.S. Census reported 1,748 residents living in the city as of 2020.

Edgerton City Lake, originally known as Santa Fe Lake, was also built by the Santa Fe Railroad in 1892 to provide water for the steam engines of passing trains and housed a train depot until the 1960s.

The lake currently is 5.5 acres with shelters, a boat ramp and a land bridge as the only access for two nearby residential properties.

Another historic point of interest nearby is the former 1902 city jail relocated from the original downtown fire station to the lake in 1993. 

The lake has also been used by Hollywood productions, appearing as a backdrop in scenes in the 1967 film adaptation of the classic Truman Capote book “In Cold Blood” and the 1980s film “Kansas,” starring Matt Dillon and Andrew McCarthy. 

“It is in pretty rough shape out there”

Lake dredging and rebuilding the dam and spillway will have to be done at the same time, and officials said they expect the project to take a year.

Jason Davis, principal engineer with Affinis, said rehabbing the dam will take a significant amount of money with the spillway in poor condition. 

“It is in pretty rough shape out there,” he said. “A lot of cracking, swelling, rebar. There’s just not really anything solid to hang onto.”

Kristen Leathers-Gratton, president of Affinis, said the main goal was to maintain the Hazard Class C rating for flood protection of the dam and spillway while continuing to make the lake attractive to pedestrians and recreational users. 

Failure of a Class C dam, as defined by the Kansas Department of Agriculture, could potentially cause extensive loss of life or damage to homes, businesses and surrounding areas.

Davis said water frequently goes over the top of the existing land bridge, and for the two residential homes on the other side, it can be difficult for emergency vehicles to reach them, putting them at high risk.

Improving the land bridge, officials said, would require replacing it with a larger structure aimed at decreasing the frequency of overflow to increase the floodplain and replace the metal pipes with concrete pipes.

Work coming to the nearby park

In addition to work on the lake itself, the city has also for months been considering improving the adjacent city park, as well.

Landscape engineer Erica Andrus last month presented to the city council two park improvement concepts with “enough flexibility for size and scope.”

Andrus said the park is in fair to average condition, lending itself to picnicking and walking, but the trails need repair and the park lacks accessibility overall. 

“It is important to have a trail and better access to the lake,” Andrus said.

The first concept would include paved parking and trails, a reconstructed road, fishing piers, boardwalks and overlooks, relocation of the historic city jail, seating areas, improved shelters and grills, a sunrise and sunset viewing platform, limestone steps and water interaction, a park sign, forebay maintenance access and a vandal-proof restroom.

The second option for $1.55 million would “build upon” the amenities but could be interchangeable with different options for piers and shelters that could include a kayak launch, nature play and a large rentable shelter, Andrus said.

“I just don’t know how we would fund it”

Edgerton conducted an open public house in March for feedback on future prospective plans for the lake and nearby park and trails. 

Officials said the top amenities preferred by residents were fishing, a paved loop trail around the lake, nature trails, picnic shelters and a fishing pier. 

Mayor Don Roberts said the study is a high-level view of what Edgerton City Lake and the park could be for residents. 

He added that improvements to the lake and dam were the “most expensive” and “largest undertaking” that would need to be planned out in slower steps.

City Administrator Beth Linn said the city would have to be “nimble” and look for ways to phase in the project because they couldn’t dredge parts of the lake at a time.

“I just don’t know how we would fund it,” Mayor Roberts said at one point. 

Affinis officials said the city has options to offset the expenses because renovating the lake and park “is a big project.”

Potential funding sources include $200,000 from federal Community Development Block Grant funds for trail, park, land acquisition and infrastructure.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency may also be able to assist with funds because a previous flood wiped out the original public works building. 

Also, money could come from a $500,000 maximum contribution from the Kansas Department of Agriculture for dams and levies, funding from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and program participation with a 50% match requirement with the Johnson County Stormwater Management Program.