Cedar Lake

Lake Olathe

Webster Reservoir1

Cheney Reservoir2

Tuttle Creek Lake3

Hillsdale Lake4

[million lb, million pounds; mg/kg, millgrams per kilogram; lb/yr, pounds per year;

(lb/acre)/yr, pounds per acre per year]

1Christensen (1999), Mau and Christensen (2000). 2Mau (2001). 3Data on file with U.S. Geological Survey, Lawrence, Kansas, and Mau and

Christensen (2000). 4Juracek (1997) and Mau and Christensen (2000).

62

45

42

34

37

15

3.74�

�

.91�

�

.04�

�

.38�

�

.41�

�

1.7

14,700

9,720�

�

29,400�

�

226,000�

�

2,520,000�

�

154,000

Lake or reservoir

watershed

Number of years

since storage

began

Mean annual

phosphorus

load (lb/yr)

Mean annual

phosphorus yield

[(lb/acre)yr]

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

June July Aug

Chlorophyll-a concentration, in micrograms per liter (μg/L)

MIB = less 

Geosmin = 

0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

June

July

Aug.

Atrazine concentration, in micrograms per liter (μg/L)

Maximum Co

Cedar C

Lake Ol

arge

s of

me

few

Mau,

horus

r

er

rshed

the

ke

heds

y the

rge

o a

n lead

t)

n

od

nkton

se algal blooms and

ther aquatic species.

ms are common in

e Olathe and are

uses of taste-and-odor

g water obtained from

f six trace elements

sediment from Cedar

he (arsenic, chromium,

and zinc) exceeded

y guidelines established

sensitive aquatic

vironmental Protection

se guidelines are

not intended for

Trace elements occur

ronment, and the

entrations could be

nt transport and

se natural elements in

strial, agricultural, or

in the watershed.

detected infrequently

from Cedar Lake and

ver, herbicides such as

nd metolachlor were

ediment from both

of Cedar Creek and

e 2000, water samples

nue to be collected

ough November from

ke Olathe. Water

d during low-flow and

storm-runoff conditions.

Total phosphorus concentrations in

several water samples collected from

Cedar Creek and Lake Olathe during

storm runoff and non-runoff visits in 2000

exceeded the recommended guideline of

0.10 milligram per liter established by

USEPA to avoid algal blooms (U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, 1986).

There is no current drinking-water

standard for phosphorus in Kansas.

However, most of the water samples

collected in 2001 from Cedar Creek and

Lake Olathe contained total phosphorus

concentrations that were less than the

guideline. Total phosphorus in water

samples from Cedar Creek and Lake

Olathe can originate from agricultural,

industrial, or residential activities in the

watershed or from natural background

sources. Phosphorus in Lake Olathe also

may be attributed, in part, to internal

loading, which is the release of phosphorus into the water column from the lake

bottom sediment that originated from the

previously mentioned sources.

Atrazine is the most common synthetic

organic chemical identified in water

samples from Cedar Creek and Lake

Olathe. Atrazine is a water soluble

herbicide frequently used for weed

control on corn and soybean crops and

often is detected in surface and ground

water throughout the Midwestern States

(Goolsby and others, 1991). Long-term

health effects from exposure to atrazine

may include cardiovascular damage,

retinal and some muscle degeneration,

and possibly cancer (U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, 2001). The USEPA has

established an allowable Maximum

Contaminant Level (MCL) of 3.0 μg/L

(micrograms per liter) as an annual

average in drinking water. During 2001,

atrazine concentrations exceeded

3.0 μg/L in six untreated water samples

from Cedar Creek and Lake Olathe but did

not exceed 3.0 μg/L as an annual average

(fig. 2). Precipitation and stream discharge

were greater in 2001 compared to 2000,

which resulted in greater transport of

atrazine through the watershed.

Biological Sampling of Cedar Creek and

Lake Olathe

Water samples also continue to be

collected from Cedar Creek and Lake

Olathe for analysis of indicator bacteria

(fecal coliform, E. coli, and enterococci)

to determine whether animal and humanrelated wastes are entering Lake Olathe.

These bacteria may indicate the presence

of potential pathogens that can affect

human health. During 2000 and 2001,

concentrations of indicator bacteria in

Cedar Creek during storm runoff

commonly exceeded the secondary

contact recreational use (including

wading, fishing, hunting) standards of

2,000 colonies per 100 milliliters of water

established by KDHE (Kansas Department of Health and Environment, 2001)

but were substantially less than these

standards during low-flow sampling.

Concentrations of bacteria in Lake Olathe

never exceeded the KDHE primary

contact recreational use (including

boating, swimming, water skiing)

standards of the geometric mean of

200 colonies per 100 milliliters of water in

five samples during a 30-day period.

In addition to bacteria sampling, water

from Cedar Creek and Lake Olathe continues to be sampled for chlorophyll-a,

which is present in most algae and is used

as a measurement of algal biomass and

production and as an indication of

potential eutrophication. Lakes and

streams with concentrations of

chlorophyll-a greater than 12 to 20 μg/L

are considered eutrophic (nutrient

enriched) by KDHE (Kansas Department

of Health and Environment, 1998). Water

samples collected from Cedar Creek in

2000 and 2001 for chlorophyll-a

frequently exceeded 12 to 20 μg/L, and

chlorophyll-a concentrations in all water

samples collected from Lake Olathe

equalled or exceeded 

during 2000 and 200

of eutrophication in l

including loss of hab

species, decreases in 

decreases in desirabi

and for recreation, an

decreased water-supp

tional activities.

Two compounds f

with taste-and-odor p

supplies, 2-methyliso

geosmin, are degrada

certain species of cya

green algae). MIB is 

musty or moldy odor

Figure 3. Chlorophyll-

(MIB) and geosmin co

June 2000–August 200

eutrophic as defined b

Table 1. Total phosphorus sediment loads and yields estimated for

Cedar Lake, Lake Olathe, and other selected lake or reservoir

watersheds in Kansas

Figure 2. Atrazine co

Olathe, June 2000–Oc

Protection Agency (20
Cedar Lake 

Lake Olathe 

Webster Reservoir1 

Cheney Reservoir2 

Tuttle Creek Lake3 

Hillsdale Lake4 

[million lb, million pounds; mg/kg, millgrams per kilogram; lb/yr, pounds per year; 

(lb/acre)/yr, pounds per acre per year] 

1Christensen (1999), Mau and Christensen (2000). 2Mau (2001). 3Data on file with U.S. Geological Survey, Lawrence, Kansas, and Mau and 

Christensen (2000). 4Juracek (1997) and Mau and Christensen (2000). 

62 

45 

42 

34 

37 

15 

3.74� 

� 

.91� 

� 

.04� 

� 

.38� 

� 

.41� 

� 

1.7 

14,700 

9,720� 

� 

29,400� 

� 

226,000� 

� 

2,520,000� 

� 

154,000 

Lake or reservoir 

watershed 

Number of years 

since storage 

began 

Mean annual 

phosphorus 

load (lb/yr) 

Mean annual 

phosphorus yield 

[(lb/acre)yr] 

chemicals may be released back to the 

water column. Therefore, understanding 

sediment transport through the watershed 

is important to the understanding of water 

quality in Lake Olathe. 

Description of the Lake Olathe Watershed 

The Lake Olathe watershed has an area 

of 16.9 square miles (10,800 acres) and 

includes Cedar Lake and Lake Olathe as 

well as Cedar Creek, the main tributary 

joining the two lakes (fig. 1). The 

watershed is experiencing rapid development and urbanization. The population 

in the watershed was about 1,400 people 

in 2000, and that number is expected to 

increase in the future (Carly S. Adams, 

city of Olathe, written commun., 2002). 

Lake Olathe is located within the city 

limits of Olathe, and there are no other 

towns in the watershed. An 18-hole 

public golf course abuts Lake Olathe on 

the east. Eighty-three percent of the 

watershed is agricultural cropland and 

grassland (Kansas Geological Survey, 

1993). 

Using Bottom Mapping and Sediment 

Sampling to Help Understand Watershed 

Processes 

Prior to collecting sediment samples, 

mapping of the lake bottom (contouring) 

was done in July 2000 at Cedar Lake and 

Lake Olathe, from which a contour map 

of the bottom of each lake was developed. 

Bottom-sediment samples from both 

Cedar Lake and Lake Olathe provided 

information that was used to help 

describe the effects of industrial, 

agricultural, and residential activities in 

the watershed since lake impoundment. 

An analysis of bottom contouring 

indicated that approximately 340 acrefeet (595 million pounds) of sediment 

was deposited in Cedar Lake from 1938 

to 2000, and approximately 320 acre-feet 

(567 million pounds) of sediment was 

deposited in Lake Olathe from 1956 to 

2000 (Mau, 2002). Compared to the 

original design volumes of each lake, 

Cedar Lake has lost about 50 percent of 

its water-storage capacity to sediment 

deposition, whereas Lake Olathe has lost 

about 10 percent of its original capacity. 

Cedar Lake and other small impoundments in the watershed have reduced 

sediment transport to and extended the 

design life of Lake Olathe. 

Chemical analysis of the lake bottom 

sediment indicated large 

mean concentrations of 

phosphorus and some 

trace elements, but few 

organic chemicals (Mau, 

2002). Total phosphorus 

yields (in pounds per 

acre of watershed per 

year) from the watershed 

to Cedar Lake were the 

largest among the lake 

and reservoir watersheds 

in Kansas studied by the 

USGS (table 1). Large 

phosphorus yields to a 

lake or reservoir can lead 

to eutrophication 

(nutrient enrichment) 

that degrades water 

quality. In addition, 

large nutrient concentrations provide a food 

source for phytoplankton 

(algae) that may cause algal blooms and 

possibly endanger other aquatic species. 

Seasonal algal blooms are common in 

Cedar Lake and Lake Olathe and are 

suspected partial causes of taste-and-odor 

problems in drinking water obtained from 

Lake Olathe. 

Concentrations of six trace elements 

identified in bottom sediment from Cedar 

Lake and Lake Olathe (arsenic, chromium, 

copper, lead, nickel, and zinc) exceeded 

the sediment-quality guidelines established 

by USEPA for some sensitive aquatic 

organisms (U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency, 1998). These guidelines are 

screening tools and not intended for 

regulatory purposes. Trace elements occur 

naturally in the environment, and the 

relatively large concentrations could be 

due more to sediment transport and 

accumulation of these natural elements in 

the lake than to industrial, agricultural, or 

residential activities in the watershed. 

Insecticides were detected infrequently 

in bottom sediment from Cedar Lake and 

Lake Olathe. However, herbicides such as 

alachlor, atrazine, and metolachlor were 

detected in bottom sediment from both 

lakes. 

Chemical Sampling of Cedar Creek and 

Lake Olathe 

Beginning in June 2000, water samples 

have been and continue to be collected 

during February through November from 

Cedar Creek and Lake Olathe. Water 

samples are collected during low-flow and 

storm-runoff conditions. 

Total phosphorus concentrations in 

several water samples collected from 

Cedar Creek and Lake Olathe during 

storm runoff and non-runoff visits in 2000 

exceeded the recommended guideline of 

0.10 milligram per liter established by 

USEPA to avoid algal blooms (U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency, 1986). 

There is no current drinking-water 

standard for phosphorus in Kansas. 

However, most of the water samples 

collected in 2001 from Cedar Creek and 

Lake Olathe contained total phosphorus 

concentrations that were less than the 

guideline. Total phosphorus in water 

samples from Cedar Creek and Lake 

Olathe can originate from agricultural, 

industrial, or residential activities in the 

watershed or from natural background 

sources. Phosphorus in Lake Olathe also 

may be attributed, in part, to internal 

loading, which is the release of phosphorus into the water column from the lake 

bottom sediment that originated from the 

previously mentioned sources. 

Atrazine is the most common synthetic 

organic chemical identified in water 

samples from Cedar Creek and Lake 

Olathe. Atrazine is a water soluble 

herbicide frequently used for weed 

control on corn and soybean crops and 

often is detected in surface and ground 

water throughout the Midwestern States 

(Goolsby and others, 1991). Long-term 

health effects from exposure to atrazine 

may include cardiovascular damage, 

retinal and some muscle degeneration, 

Table 1. Total phosphorus sediment loads and yields estimated for 

Cedar Lake, Lake Olathe, and other selected lake or reservoir 

watersheds in Kansas 
0 

5 

10 

15 

20 

25 

30 

35 

40 

45 

50 

June July Aug. Sept. 

2000 2001 

Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. 

Chlorophyll-a concentration, in micrograms per liter (μg/L) 

M I B = less tha n 5 ng/ L 

G eosmin = 6 5 ng/ L 

M I B = less than 5 ng/ L G eosmin = less tha n 5 ng/ L 

M I B = less tha n 5 ng/ L G eos min = less tha n 3 ng/ L M I B = les s tha n 5 ng/ L 

G eosmin = 7 . 8 ng/ L 

M IB = less than 5 ng/ L 

G eosmin = less than 5 ng/ L 

M I B = less tha n 5 ng/ L G eos min = less tha n 5 ng/ L 

M I B = les s tha n 5 ng/ L G eosmin = less than 5 ng/ L 

0 

1.0 

2.0 

3.0 

4.0 

5.0 

6.0 

June 

July 

Aug. 

Sept. 

Oct. 

June 

July 

Aug. 

Sept. 

Oct. 

Nov. 

Dec. 

Jan. 

Feb. 

Mar. 

Apr. 

May 

Atrazine concentration, in micrograms per liter (μg/L) 

M aximum C ontaminant L evel (3 . 0 μg/ L ) 

C edar C reek at H ighway 5 6 at O lathe, K ansas 

L ak e O lathe near O lathe, K ansas 

2000 2001 

and possibly cancer (U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency, 2001). The USEPA has 

established an allowable Maximum 

Contaminant Level (MCL) of 3.0 μg/L 

(micrograms per liter) as an annual 

average in drinking water. During 2001, 

atrazine concentrations exceeded 

3.0 μg/L in six untreated water samples 

from Cedar Creek and Lake Olathe but did 

not exceed 3.0 μg/L as an annual average 

(fig. 2). Precipitation and stream discharge 

were greater in 2001 compared to 2000, 

which resulted in greater transport of 

atrazine through the watershed. 

Biological Sampling of Cedar Creek and 

Lake Olathe 

Water samples also continue to be 

collected from Cedar Creek and Lake 

Olathe for analysis of indicator bacteria 

(fecal coliform, E. coli, and enterococci) 

to determine whether animal and humanrelated wastes are entering Lake Olathe. 

These bacteria may indicate the presence 

of potential pathogens that can affect 

human health. During 2000 and 2001, 

concentrations of indicator bacteria in 

Cedar Creek during storm runoff 

commonly exceeded the secondary 

contact recreational use (including 

wading, fishing, hunting) standards of 

2,000 colonies per 100 milliliters of water 

established by KDHE (Kansas Department of Health and Environment, 2001) 

but were substantially less than these 

standards during low-flow sampling. 

Concentrations of bacteria in Lake Olathe 

never exceeded the KDHE primary 

contact recreational use (including 

boating, swimming, water skiing) 

standards of the geometric mean of 

200 colonies per 100 milliliters of water in 

five samples during a 30-day period. 

In addition to bacteria sampling, water 

from Cedar Creek and Lake Olathe continues to be sampled for chlorophyll-a, 

which is present in most algae and is used 

as a measurement of algal biomass and 

production and as an indication of 

potential eutrophication. Lakes and 

streams with concentrations of 

chlorophyll-a greater than 12 to 20 μg/L 

are considered eutrophic (nutrient 

enriched) by KDHE (Kansas Department 

of Health and Environment, 1998). Water 

samples collected from Cedar Creek in 

2000 and 2001 for chlorophyll-a 

frequently exceeded 12 to 20 μg/L, and 

chlorophyll-a concentrations in all water 

samples collected from Lake Olathe 

equalled or exceeded 12 to 20 μg/L 

during 2000 and 2001 (fig. 3). The effects 

of eutrophication in lakes are numerous, 

including loss of habitat for aquatic 

species, decreases in biodiversity, 

decreases in desirability as a water supply 

and for recreation, and lost revenues from 

decreased water-supply use and recreational activities. 

Two compounds frequently associated 

with taste-and-odor problems in water 

supplies, 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) and 

geosmin, are degradation products of 

certain species of cyanobacteria (bluegreen algae). MIB is responsible for 

musty or moldy odors in drinking water, 

and geosmin is responsible for earthy 

odors. The blue-green algae most often 

appear in lakes and reservoirs of the 

Northern Hemisphere during the late 

summer months (August and early 

September) when water temperatures and 

light are optimal for the growth of the 

algae. However, in July 2000, optimal 

conditions were reached for algal blooms 

in Lake Olathe, and large concentrations 

of geosmin were observed (fig. 3) that 

coincided with community complaints of 

"foul-tasting" drinking water. Hydrologic 

conditions in Lake Olathe were very 

different in 2001, with more precipitation 

and less residence time of water in the 

Figure 3. Chlorophyll-a concentrations in micrograms per liter (μg/L) and 2-methyl-isoborneal 

(MIB) and geosmin concentrations in nanograms per liter (ng/L) in water from Lake Olathe, 

June 2000–August 2001. Chlorophyll-a concentrations greater than 12 μg/L are considered 

eutrophic as defined by Kansas Department of Health and Environment (1998). 

Figure 2. Atrazine concentrations in water samples collected from Cedar Creek and Lake 

Olathe, June 2000–October 2001. Maximum Contaminant Level from U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency (2001). 
lake. Geosmin was then detected in one 

sample but at a concentration nearly an 

order of magnitude less than the detection 

in 2000; there were no taste-and-odor 

complaints in 2001. 

Real-Time Water-Quality Monitoring of 

Cedar Creek and Lake Olathe 

A real-time water-quality notification 

system is being developed for Lake 

Olathe to assist the city of Olathe in 

anticipating when taste-and-odor 

problems or problems in using the lake 

for recreation may occur. The notification system consists of two waterquality monitors suspended in Cedar 

Creek and Lake Olathe that measure 

specific conductance, pH, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll-a, 

and turbidity (see figs. 1 and 4). These 

physical properties are measured hourly, 

and the data are transmitted via satellite to 

computers at the USGS office in 

Lawrence, Kansas, where the data are 

made accessible on the World WideWeb 

(http://ks.water.usgs.gov/Kansas/qw/olathe/). 

These data, in addition to data from 

analysis of water samples collected from 

Cedar Creek and Lake Olathe, are being 

used to develop statistical relations that 

can be used by city officials as a predictive tool to help anticipate taste-and-odor 

problems in water supplies from Lake 

Olathe so that they might take steps to 

minimize the detrimental effects to the 

drinking-water supply and recreational 

activities. 

Development of a Watershed Protection 

Plan 

With assistance from Kansas State 

University (KSU, Manhattan) and the 

Kansas Biological Survey (KBS, 

Lawrence), through the Kansas Urban 

Water Quality Restoration and Protection 

Initiative, the city of Olathe is working to 

develop a watershed protection plan that 

will help ensure the long-term environmental health of Lake Olathe. In particular, the plan will address a variety of 

current and future environmental 

programs that will directly affect the Lake 

Olathe watershed, including the Source 

Water Assessment Program, Total 

Maximum Daily Loads, and Phase-II 

Stormwater Regulations. 

As additional results of the monitoring 

and assessment activities become available, KSU and KBS will offer technical 

assistance to facilitate the development of 

a water-quality protection plan for the 

Lake Olathe watershed. This assistance 

includes a geographic information system 

(GIS) model that will allow the city to test 

different land-use alternatives and their 

potential effects on the watershed (C.S. 

Adams, city of Olathe, oral commun., 

2002). 

Development of a comprehensive 

watershed protection plan for Lake Olathe 

will be responsive to community needs 

and will likely involve the establishment 

of a steering committee to engage public 

participation from local residents and 

other stakeholders in the watershed in the 

decisionmaking process. A major component of the plan will be educational outreach efforts to inform local residents of 

the importance of maintaining water 

quality in Lake Olathe and how they can 

help to protect this important community 

resource. 

Christensen, V.G., 1999, Deposition of 

selenium and other constituents in 

reservoir bottom sediment of the 

Solomon River Basin, north-central 

Kansas: U.S. Geological Survey 

Water-Resources Investigations 

Report 99-4230, 46 p. 

Goolsby, D.A., Thurman, E.M., and Kolpin, 

D.W., 1991, Geographic and temporal 

distribution of herbicides in surface 

waters of the upper midwestern United 

States, 1989-90: U.S. Geological 

Survey Water-Resources Investigations 

Report 91-4034, p. 183-188. 

Juracek, K.E., 1997, Analysis of bottom 

sediment to estimate nonpoint-source 

phosphorus loads for 1981-96 in 

Hillsdale Lake, northeast Kansas: U.S. 

Geological Survey Water-Resources 

Investigations Report 97-4235, 55 p. 

Kansas Department of Health and Environment, 1998, A primer on lake eutrophication and related pollution problems: 

Topeka, Kansas, September 1998, 28 p. 

____2001, Kansas register, article 28-16-28e, 

Surface water quality standards: Topeka, 

Kansas, Secretary of State, 19 p. 

Kansas Geological Survey, 1993, Landcover 

metadata: Information available on the 

World Wide Web, accessed May 9, 2000, 

at URL http://gisdata.kgs.ukans.edu/ 

dasc/metadata/landcov.html 

Lee, G.F., and Sears, R.I., 1985, Kansas 

Clean Lakes Program, Lake Olathe: 

prepared for city of Olathe, Kansas, 

various pagination. 

Mau, D.P., 2001, Sediment deposition and 

trends and transport of phosphorus and 

other chemical constituents, Cheney 

Reservoir watershed, south-central 

Kansas: U.S. Geological Survey 

Water-Resources Investigations 

Report 01-4085, 40 p. 

____2002, Sediment deposition and selected 

water-quality characteristics in Cedar 

Lake and Lake Olathe, northeast Kansas, 

2000: U.S. Geological Survey 

Water-Resources Investigations 

Report 02-4073, 71 p. 

Mau, D.P., and Christensen, V.G., 2000, 

Comparison of sediment deposition in 

reservoirs of four Kansas watersheds: 

U.S. Geological Survey Fact 

Sheet 102-00, 4 p. 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1986, 

Quality criteria for water, 1986: U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency 

Report 440/5-86-001, unnumbered 

pages. 

____1998, The incidence and severity of 

sediment contamination in surface 

waters of the United States, 

volume 1-national sediment survey: U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency 

Report 823-R-97-006, various 

pagination. 

____2001, Consumer factsheet on atrazine: 

Information available on World Wide 

Web, accessed February 4, 2002, at URL 

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwh/ 

csoc/atrazine.html Selected References 

For more information about the water-quality 

monitoring and assessment activities in the 

Lake Olathe watershed, visit the 

USGS web site at: 

URL 

http://ks.water.usgs.gov/Kansas/qw/olathe/ 

or contact: 

District Chief 

U.S. Geological Survey 

4821 Quail Crest Place 

Lawrence, Kansas 66049-3839 

(785) 842-9909 

email: dc_ks@usgs.gov 

Figure 4. Real-time water-quality monitor 

used in Cedar Creek and Lake Olathe.