A multi-year – multi phase plan to bring the Smoky Hill River back to life in Salina is underway, but most of the work will be under the radar for the next couple of years.

City of Salina Utilities Director Martha Tasker joined in on the KSAL Morning News Extra Thursday with a look at the ecosystem restoration effort the City and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are joining forces to revive the river over the next 6-years.

The cost sharing agreement signed this week will help kick-start the three phase plan that will mostly play out in offices and on computers over the next two years.

After the designs are approved – bulldozers will begin removing years of sediment that are choking the channel.

Estimated cost of the project is around $22 million dollars. Officials anticipate the Smoky Hill River will have flowing water again in 2030. Designers say the 6.8 mile showpiece will someday boast walking trails, outdoor lighting, a waterfall feature plus step pools with kayak and canoe chutes.