Project scope
A multipurpose system consisting of Norton Dam and Keith Sebelius Reservoir (formerly Norton Reservoir), Almena Diversion Dam, the Almena Main and South Canals, laterals, and drains. The general description says the unit serves 5,763 acres. The detailed canal account says the Main Canal serves 3,830 acres and the South Canal 1,520 acres; it also says the lateral system serves 2,450 acres and the remaining 2,900 acres are served by canal turnouts. The detailed service figures total 5,350 acres, not 5,763; the source does not explain the difference. Reported engineering details include a 101-foot-high, 6,450-foot-long Norton Dam; spillway capacity of 94,600 cubic feet per second; outlet capacity of 330 cubic feet per second; and a reservoir capacity of 134,738 acre-feet, allocated among dead storage (2,718), inactive capacity (2,566), irrigation and municipal supply (30,651), and flood control (98,803). The diversion dam is described as an approximately 150-foot-long, 19-foot-high concrete weir with earth dikes. The Main Canal is 20 miles long with 100-cubic-feet-per-second capacity; the South Canal is 8.3 miles long with 36-cubic-feet-per-second capacity. The source also reports 17 laterals totaling 14.3 miles and 6.4 miles of collector drains. Construction milestones reported for these facilities: Norton Dam and Reservoir began in December 1961 and were completed in December 1964; Almena Diversion Dam began in August 1965 and was completed in February 1967; canals, laterals, and drains began in October 1965 and were completed in May 1967. Initial water storage began in October 1964.
Reported status and procurement
- Reported development
The unit is described as storing and supplying water for irrigation and for the municipal needs of Norton, providing downstream flood protection through controlled storage, and supporting recreation. The page states that Norton receives a full municipal water supply from Norton Reservoir and that floodwater is stored, to the extent practicable, for later irrigation and municipal releases.
- Procurement availability
- Unknown / not established
A source report alone does not establish current progress or an open buying window.
Project summary
The Almena Unit is a water-resource system in the Prairie Dog Creek valley of north-central Kansas. Its reported facilities include Norton Dam and Keith Sebelius Reservoir, Almena Diversion Dam, and associated canals, laterals, and drains. The source describes irrigation, municipal water supply for Norton, downstream flood protection, and recreation as purposes or benefits.
Evidence note: The supplied source evidence was observed on 2 October 2026; this is the observation date, not the date of this review. This summary is limited to the supplied HTML text. Linked documents and images or captions were not reviewed.
Evidence limits and unknowns
The general description gives 5,763 acres, while each detailed service breakdown totals 5,350 acres. The source does not explain the difference.
The construction dates are historical, with the reported works completed by May 1967. The supplied text does not establish current construction or rehabilitation, current condition, procurement, or a purchasing opportunity.
The source provides no publication date. Its operating and administrative statements are undated, and it does not explain the timing or scope of its different wildlife-agency attributions.
The supplied text does not identify a project cost, financing stage, borrower, sponsor, or contractor. Evidence observed on 2 October 2026 does not establish present project status.
