Smithville Concerns

I’m just noticing the lake changing very quickly and it’s a very shallow lake to begin with. The banks are eroding leaving most of the coves with no drop off at all and all the creeks have silted in to the point I don’t think there is even one on the lake anymore. I assume it’s from the clay bank and really no rocks or bluffs like some other Missouri lakes. Also a lot of farm runoff.

Back in the early 80’s there were creek channels you actually take your boat back hundreds of yards and they were fishable. Now at normal pool the lake always looks low.

I guess my question is would they ever consider changing what normal pool is for the lake or what if anything can be done about it? I would like to see it about four to five feet higher.

I was in a creek last night I know two years ago had at least 5 fow at normal pool….last night I was stirring mud with the TM. I know some of you guys have fished the lake as long as I have and would like to know your thoughts and what the people newer to the lake have noticed changing. I just feel like it was a MUCH better fishery in those early days. Early on if you had 15lbs in a bass tourney you wouldn’t even cash a check; today you could make a living at that lake with 15lbs. Sorry for the rambling!

I think this is a concern, for the fishermen as well as for the Corps and MDC. Everyone knows the problem is there and some of the erosion is being addressed, when there is money to throw at the problem. I know there have been bank stabilization projects done already (in the form of rip-rap on main lake points), and some boulder fields have been put in that can help with wave action, but it seems that a lot of the siltation is coming from way up stream in the creeks and rivers. To address those issues, there will be serious money needed. I don't know if it's true or not, but I heard one person who worked in the lake/park system say that Smithville was considered by the corps to be a "100 year lake" because it would silt in completely in that time. I think asking for a change in lake level is not really a consideration, but it never hurts to ask. I also think there are things that can be done to stop further erosion/siltation, but that will take a group of people willing to spend some time and effort to organize, and will be a project that would last for years if not be an ongoing thing.

Thanks, Bill, for putting this out.

I always wondered why they didn't put cattails around the points . They would grow out to 3ft of water and stop .Look at the habitat it would create!I know what you are saying keeferfish I had 18lbs in a midwestoutdoorsman tourney and didn't place of cource those were the glory days. Look at the cost of rocks compared to cattails the corps will have some lame excuse just my opinion.

IMO cattails are not a great addition to the lake, besides they would have naturally established themselves if they could. The corps and MDC have tried to establish other types of vegetation to stop erosion and improve habitat, but changing lake levels mostly wiped it all out.

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Originally Posted by keeferfish

I’m just noticing the lake changing very quickly and it’s a very shallow lake to begin with. The banks are eroding leaving most of the coves with no drop off at all and all the creeks have silted in to the point I don’t think there is even one on the lake anymore. I assume it’s from the clay bank and really no rocks or bluffs like some other Missouri lakes. Also a lot of farm runoff.

Back in the early 80’s there were creek channels you actually take your boat back hundreds of yards and they were fishable. Now at normal pool the lake always looks low.

I guess my question is would they ever consider changing what normal pool is for the lake or what if anything can be done about it? I would like to see it about four to five feet higher.

I was in a creek last night I know two years ago had at least 5 fow at normal pool….last night I was stirring mud with the TM. I know some of you guys have fished the lake as long as I have and would like to know your thoughts and what the people newer to the lake have noticed changing. I just feel like it was a MUCH better fishery in those early days. Early on if you had 15lbs in a bass tourney you wouldn’t even cash a check; today you could make a living at that lake with 15lbs. Sorry for the rambling!

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Unfortunately all reservoirs have a functional lifespan. Reservoir lifespans differ dramatically based on geography. Watershed size, and activities within that watershed all will play major roles in the lifespan of a reservoir. Smithville's watershed is dominated by cropfields and farming and therefore eroision and siltation are major issues we have to deal with. When Smithville was built is was givin a fuctional lifespan of 50 years, for flood control. Work being done on trying to slow the silitation and erosion issues include; rip-rap shoreline and main lake points, attempts to re-establish native aquatic vegetation, educating landowners within the watershed, and best management pratices on USACE Land. Siltation is a big issue, Scott Ryan the previous biologist for the lake, looked at siltation rates a couple of years ago and calculated that the lake had sillted in 17% since the lake reached full pool in 1979. Unfortunately we continue to fight a losing battle.

I wish it was as easy as raising the normal pool height for the reservoir but we all know that its not. The reservoir and dam was not designed to hold 4-5 more feet of water and the infrastructure around the lake wasn't either. Adding that much water would take away all the free board the reservoir has. During a large rain event the reservoir couldn't hold that much water and the dam would fail causing much more problems than we have now. MDC tried a major aquatic vegetation estabishment effort on the lake as well. 100's of cages were built to try to get vegetation established on all parts of the lake using several different species of aquatic vegetation in the hopes of increasing shoreline protection as well as helping the fishery. But do to several factors to date we have little to show for our efforts.

Believe me you are not the only one to notice that our lake continues to shrink on us. We will continue to do as much as we can to slow the process. As monies become available we will continue to stabilize banks. The corps has been great to work with to do their best to maintain water levels as much as possible to get terestrial and aquatic vegetation to take hold. And we will continue to educate landowners on the importance of work within the Smithville watershed. We will continue to try to improve the aquatic habitat within the lake anyway we can. In the last 2 years we have put nearly 300 brushpiles in the lake. All this done to try to make Smithville a better fishery.

Eric thanks for the efforts!!!


Ill chip in for a dredge!

so you can dredge out your own personal hot spots i bet :biggrin

If the lake was designed to be a "50 year" lake then that means its flood control function would be expired around 2030 correct? given that lifespan then one would think the lake should be over half silted not 17%? Maybe someone smart can fill me in on the difference between a functional flood control lake and one that can no longer offer flood control but still exists as a fishery (i always assumed they would be the same)

Have we learned anything from the failed plants that can help explain why they aren't growing? With the quality of the land around Smithville one would think plants could grow well in the area. Is there a reason they don't? (I think i read somewhere that the water level rose ALOT after the project started due to heavy rains and killed most of them) I remember watching a fishing show on the great lakes where they were explaining that now that zebra mussels had infested the water that water clarity had grown to around 10 ft allowing plants to grow much deeper than before. Would cleaner water (eventually the zebra mussels would do the same to Smithville??) help the situation (plant wise)?

and THANK YOU Eric and all the other biologists and conservation agents who frequent this site to answer our questions!!!

I remember in the early 90s when Smithville and Truman were covered in huge milfoil "fields". miles of the stuff...and I mean all over..it also would take 30+ pounds to win a tournament on Smithville...then the 1993 flood changed both lakes for ever. those weeds never re covered...it was spectacular, Smithville was considered one of the best trophy lakes in the Midwest...

While I did stay at a Holiday Inn Select last night, I still don't claim to be an expert on issues like this, but I do have one thought.

The corps owns the ground surrounding the lake, so I assume it would be up to them to make something like this happen....

How would it work if there could be holding ponds/small lakes built above the main feeder creeks leading into the lake where the silt is coming from? They could catch the mud run off from the fields and then allow clean water to enter the lake system. (Would rip rap work as a mud filter?)

I know there are a bunch load of creeks and a fairly sizeable river we are talking about, but it seems that would be a more proactive approach at stemming the problem instead of repeatedly ramming ideas such as fencing off areas to grow weeds that don't grow like weeds.

I'm no expert either, but I would bet that most of the siltation comes from the river and I don't think there is any way to stop that. There is a grant program that COULD help a lot. Their mission is stabilizing banks (rip-rap, Riparian edges, farmer education), improving fish health/habitat. The bottom line, I think, is that neither the Corps nor the MDC can come up with the kind of money that would be required to have much of an effect on siltation, and even if there were unlimited funds, is it realistic to think we could stop the siltation? Could we slow it enough to make a difference to the lake?

Make no mistake...there is a lot that can be done to stop/slow the siltation process. But it will take a group of people working together as a team, working with the USACE, and the MDC. Both of those groups are more than willing to work with anyone who wants to take the ball and run with it, but they can only be supporting groups....they are not allowed to RUN the group.

Anytime money becomes available to the corps and MDC, they do things at the lake to try and stop the erosion. Anyone who uses the lake over the years can see the bank erosion on main lake points. Now you can also see the rip-rap that has been installed, the jetties that have been built, etc. But there is only so much money....it may be our jobs, as users, to find a way to get them the cash they need to really have a positive effect on Smithville.

I don't want to forget to mention the help that Clay County Parks contributes to lake work days, etc

Sorry Guys, I have been away from the site for a few daysand it looks like there has been some good discussion about the Smithvilleconcerns. I will try to address all the topics everyone has had in one post.

First of all I brought up that Smithville was designed as a flood control lakeand was designed to have a functional life span of 50 yrs. This does not meanthat the lake is going to be completely filled in with silt in in 50 yrs. Thismeans that with the amount of siltation entering the basin every year, that in50 years the lake will lose enough water storage capacity to no longer functionas it was designed as a flood control lake. The lake will still exist and willstill function as a recreational lake but it simply loses its functionality forflood control. Think of it this way, if the same amount of water is enteringthe lake every year but the lake continues to get smaller every year due to thesiltation then the lake simply will not hold as much water as it did the yearbefore and so on and so on.

What have we learned about the failed efforts to reestablish vegetation back inthe lake? Well we learned that aquatic plants cannot sustain the water level fluctuationsof Smithville Lake. Although Smithville does not experience the extremefluctuations that we see in other large reservoir in the state, they are enoughto stress out the plants that they don't survive. Sometimes the cages wereflooded in the spring and completely dry in the winter. And as you are allaware it is impossible to predict the weather in Missouri from year to year, drought,flood, flood drought...Smithville is sorely lacking in shallow water habitatand we all know the importance that vegetation plays on the size and quality ofthe fish in the fishery and that is why MDC took on such a large scale effort.

Zebra mussels have been documented to increase the water clarity in lakes. Theyfilter the plankton out of the water but will not help with the siltationissues we have on Smithville. Clearer water will allow for the sunlight to penetratefurther into the water column allowing for more aquatic plant growth but thezebra mussels filter so much nutrients and food from the system that theproductivity of the lake goes way down and the fishery usually suffers.

I couldn't have answered sevenfiftynine's questions any better than Vic did. Iwill add one thing; he is correct in stating that there are programs and grantsavailable for large reservoirs around the nation that concerned citizens canlead and accomplish great things. It is called the Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership(RFHP). Through this organization you can start a Friends of Reservoirs (FOR)for Smithville Lake. In fact the last major habitat project on Smithville tookplace because of one of a RFHP grants, to the tune of $200K. I think that themembers of Crappie.com that call Smithville Lake their home would be a greatgroup of guys and gals to step up and start an FOR for Smithville Lake. Pleasecontact me if anyone is interested in starting one of these for Smithville.Check out what other groups around the Nation have done for their lakes on theinternet. It is truly amazing.

Thanks for the response, Eric. FOR is exactly what I was referring to, and I'm convinced that if even a few of us CDC'ers could work together, we could get this thing going. We can all see what is happening to the lake, and I think now is the time to get started to stop any damage we can.

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Originally Posted by vic n

Thanks for the response, Eric. FOR is exactly what I was referring to, and I'm convinced that if even a few of us CDC'ers could work together, we could get this thing going. We can all see what is happening to the lake, and I think now is the time to get started to stop any damage we can.

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Vic

Was just reading this and if there is anything I can do to help - holler