El Dorado Lake

Camper owners return to El Dorado Lake Monday to assess the damage after a Sunday afternoon storm. High winds picked up campers off their jacks and moved them.  Several were flipped over, two sheds were destroyed and a pole barn was left all twisted. The storm hit El Dorado Lake around 4:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon. We have no reports of injuries.

El Dorado lake officials say Kansas residents are staying away and it's hurting their business. The Marina Store Manager says business is down 50% in the last two weeks. She says it's because of the blue-green algae scare. But the El Dorado Lake doesn't have it and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment has declared that lake safe. Workers say even though they don't have it, people are staying away and want people to know it is safe to be in the water. "I think they thought it was in Butler County and included everybody but we don't have a problem here," said Marina manager Debbie Haled.

Officials at El Dorado State Park say it's been a good turnout so far this Memorial Day weekend. The turnout was a little slower on Sunday because of the wind but many showed up on Saturday. Park managers are estimating about 65 to 70,000 people turned out for the entire weekend. They say the camping crowd has been really good. "This has been a really good breakthrough for us as far as camping crowds, " says Assistant Park Manager Randy Just. "We haven't seen a good camping crowd like this for a while.

When you have a classic boat like Greg Largen's 1972 Century Arabian, you want to take it out and enjoy it.  And, for the first summer in years, Largen has been enjoying a lot of evenings on El Dorado Lake. "Everything's been great," Largen says.  "We love it!" Largen and his wife have had a lot of company out on the lake, because El Dorado is one of the few Kansas lakes that hasn't been devastated by the hot, dry weather which is shriveling up a lot of lakes and, in a lot of cases, causing blue-green algae outbreaks.

One of the girls involved in a jet ski accident over the weekend is out of the hospital.  Tyson Nielsen with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks says the other girl remains in the hospital after surgery.  But he says she's expected to recover. He says the 12 and 13 year old girls were on jet skis when for some reason they collided.  The crash happened around 10:30 Saturday morning north-east of the Shady Creek Marina at El Dorado lake. The girls were at the lake together and the jet skis are owned by the same person.  Nielsen says no citations were issued, it was purely an accident.

A camper trailer bursts into flames near El Dorado Lake in Butler County Monday afternoon. Viewer Leonard Maddox sent the video above. No one was hurt in the fire. The fire broke out on highway 177 and smoke could be seen from miles away. The El Dorado Fire Department was able put the fire out without quickly. You can send in pictures and videos of news as it happens to by downloading the KWCH App. It's free to download for the iPhone, iPad and Droid devices.  Click here to download   Scene Video This video of a camper in flames in Butler County near El Dorado lake was sent to us by viewer Leonard Maddox.

Attendance numbers are up at El Dorado State Park this summer. That's compared to last summer Park managers say the attendance has been up slightly all summer long. They cite two reasons for the increased attendance. El Dorado Lake levels haven't dropped as much as others in the area during this drought. Also, with gas prices being higher people are staying closer to home. Attendance numbers were up during the Labor Day Holiday. Park managers also say that it's been a pretty safe holiday with no major accidents.

A bill has been introduced in the Kansas Senate, S.B. 313 that would allow people to bring full strength beer and liquor into places managed by the Department of Wildlife, including El Dorado lake. Click Here to Read the Bill Right now, only 3.2 beer or what's often called 'grocery store' beer is allowed at state parks. "From a law enforcement standpoint, it really doesn't mean a whole to us," explains Park Ranger Seth Turner. He says people are already bringing stronger alcohol into the lake and the 3.2 rule can be hard to enforce.

The El Dorado Parks and Recreation Advisory Board met Wednesday night to discuss plans for a new arena. The meeting was held at City Hall. The public came to weigh in on the proposed arena. Some people are upset because the arena will be located behind McDonald Stadium. Its construction would force the reloction of several ballfields. Parents say the ballfields are important because they have been a part of El Dorado for more than a decade. They think its important that kids are able to walk or ride their bikes to the fields.

Seeing sprinklers watering yards has been a rare sight in Augusta the past several months.  Homeowners have been limited to two days of lawn watering a week.  That has taken a toll on grass and ornamental plants. But as the dry weather continues, the level of Augusta Lake has not dramatically declined in recent days.  People have been so good about limiting their water usage, 8 of the past 14 days the city hasn't had to rely on Augusta Lake for any water.  It's been able to get by on its allotment from El Dorado Lake.

Attendance numbers are up at El Dorado State Park this summer. That's compared to last summer Park managers say the attendance has been up slightly all summer long. They cite two reasons for the increased attendance. El Dorado Lake levels haven't dropped as much as others in the area during this drought. Also, with gas prices being higher people are staying closer to home. Attendance numbers were up during the Labor Day Holiday. Park managers also say that it's been a pretty safe holiday with no major accidents.

A camper trailer bursts into flames near El Dorado Lake in Butler County Monday afternoon. Viewer Leonard Maddox sent the video above. No one was hurt in the fire. The fire broke out on highway 177 and smoke could be seen from miles away. The El Dorado Fire Department was able put the fire out without quickly. You can send in pictures and videos of news as it happens to by downloading the KWCH App. It's free to download for the iPhone, iPad and Droid devices.  Click here to download   Scene Video This video of a camper in flames in Butler County near El Dorado lake was sent to us by viewer Leonard Maddox.

When you have a classic boat like Greg Largen's 1972 Century Arabian, you want to take it out and enjoy it.  And, for the first summer in years, Largen has been enjoying a lot of evenings on El Dorado Lake. "Everything's been great," Largen says.  "We love it!" Largen and his wife have had a lot of company out on the lake, because El Dorado is one of the few Kansas lakes that hasn't been devastated by the hot, dry weather which is shriveling up a lot of lakes and, in a lot of cases, causing blue-green algae outbreaks.

One of the girls involved in a jet ski accident over the weekend is out of the hospital.  Tyson Nielsen with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks says the other girl remains in the hospital after surgery.  But he says she's expected to recover. He says the 12 and 13 year old girls were on jet skis when for some reason they collided.  The crash happened around 10:30 Saturday morning north-east of the Shady Creek Marina at El Dorado lake. The girls were at the lake together and the jet skis are owned by the same person.  Nielsen says no citations were issued, it was purely an accident.

Officials at El Dorado State Park say it's been a good turnout so far this Memorial Day weekend. The turnout was a little slower on Sunday because of the wind but many showed up on Saturday. Park managers are estimating about 65 to 70,000 people turned out for the entire weekend. They say the camping crowd has been really good. "This has been a really good breakthrough for us as far as camping crowds, " says Assistant Park Manager Randy Just. "We haven't seen a good camping crowd like this for a while.

A bill has been introduced in the Kansas Senate, S.B. 313 that would allow people to bring full strength beer and liquor into places managed by the Department of Wildlife, including El Dorado lake. Click Here to Read the Bill Right now, only 3.2 beer or what's often called 'grocery store' beer is allowed at state parks. "From a law enforcement standpoint, it really doesn't mean a whole to us," explains Park Ranger Seth Turner. He says people are already bringing stronger alcohol into the lake and the 3.2 rule can be hard to enforce.

Seeing sprinklers watering yards has been a rare sight in Augusta the past several months.  Homeowners have been limited to two days of lawn watering a week.  That has taken a toll on grass and ornamental plants. But as the dry weather continues, the level of Augusta Lake has not dramatically declined in recent days.  People have been so good about limiting their water usage, 8 of the past 14 days the city hasn't had to rely on Augusta Lake for any water.  It's been able to get by on its allotment from El Dorado Lake.

The El Dorado Parks and Recreation Advisory Board met Wednesday night to discuss plans for a new arena. The meeting was held at City Hall. The public came to weigh in on the proposed arena. Some people are upset because the arena will be located behind McDonald Stadium. Its construction would force the reloction of several ballfields. Parents say the ballfields are important because they have been a part of El Dorado for more than a decade. They think its important that kids are able to walk or ride their bikes to the fields.

El Dorado lake officials say Kansas residents are staying away and it's hurting their business. The Marina Store Manager says business is down 50% in the last two weeks. She says it's because of the blue-green algae scare. But the El Dorado Lake doesn't have it and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment has declared that lake safe. Workers say even though they don't have it, people are staying away and want people to know it is safe to be in the water. "I think they thought it was in Butler County and included everybody but we don't have a problem here," said Marina manager Debbie Haled.

Camper owners return to El Dorado Lake Monday to assess the damage after a Sunday afternoon storm. High winds picked up campers off their jacks and moved them.  Several were flipped over, two sheds were destroyed and a pole barn was left all twisted. The storm hit El Dorado Lake around 4:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon. We have no reports of injuries.