Historical Response of the Wakarusa River Channel to Anthropogenic Influences

Abstract

Historical channel change for the Wakarusa River in east-central Kansas was assessed for both temporal and spatial transformations. Re-measurement of selected section-line channel crossings from the federal land surveys of 1855 and 1856 revealed significant channel widening occurring both immediately above and below Clinton Reservoir. Narrowing in the uppermost headwater region and in the lowest reaches of the Wakarusa River is indicated, but is not statistically significant. Aerial photographic evidence indicates that spatial channel position change between pre- and post- reservoir construction has been minimal. Prior work in Douglas County by Dort (n.d.) and comparisons of federal land surveys to modern aerial photography in Shawnee County indicates that there was a much more active channel between the time of Euro-American settlement and the 1950s when agricultural conservation practices were in affect.