Adventures on the water will be even more accessible in the near future at Lakewood Discovery Center.

Brian Underwood at Lakewood Discovery Center in Salina joined in on the KSAL Morning News Extra with a look at how the Smoky Hill River renewal project will inject new life into the waterway.

The plan calls for dredging the river bed and using some of that sediment to create mounds in the wildlife area. Then just add water.

After the designs are approved for the entire river project and bridge replacement plan– the Army Corps of Engineers will use bulldozers in removing years of sediment that are choking the old 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.

Photo courtesy Lakewood Discovery Center FB page