Authorization: The John Redmond Dam and Reservoir was authorized for construction as the Strawn Dam and Reservoir by the Flood Control Act of 17 May 1950 (Public Law No. 516, 81st Congress, Chapter 188, 2nd Session.  The project was renamed the John Redmond Dam and Reservoir by Act of Congress, Public Law 85-237, 85th Congress, H.R. 3770 dated 15 February 1958.

Location: On the Neosho River at mile 343.7 of the Grand (Neosho) River in Coffey County, Kansas about two miles northwest of the town of Burlington, Kansas and about 22 miles southeast of Emporia, Kansas.

Status: Completed

Purpose: Flood control, water supply, water quality control and recreation.  Additional operated for wildlife objectives.

History of Construction: Construction of the project began in June 1959.  Closure of the embankment was completed in September 1963.  The project was completed for full flood control operation in September 1964.  All major construction was completed in December 1965.  Ultimate development was initiated January 1, 1976, and the conservation pool elevation changed from 1036.0 to 1039.0.

Type of Structure: The project consists of an earthfill embankment and a gated ogee weir, concrete spillway located in the left abutment. The dam rises to a maximum height of 86.5 feet above the streambed. The structure is 21,790 feet long which includes the lengths of the following components: earthfill embankment, 20,740 feet; concrete spillway including piers and abutments, 664 feet; and two concrete non-overflow bulkhead sections, 300 feet. A road, 24 feet wide, is provided along the crest of the dam.

Spillway & Outlet Works: The spillway is a gated, concrete, ogee weirlocated in the left abutment. The net opening of the structure is 560 feet and it is equipped with fourteen 40- by 35-foot-high tainter gates. Spillway capacity at the maximum pool (elevation 1074.5) is 578,000 cfs and at the top of the flood control pool (elevation 1068.0) is 428,000 cfs. Two 24-inch- diameter low-flow pipes are located through the left non-overflow section with a discharge capacity of 130 cfs at the spillway crest. A 30-inch-diameter water supply connection is provided for future use. Bank-full capacity of the channel below the dam site is 15,000 cfs.

Hydrologic Data: The flood of record occurred in June and July 1951 with a peak discharge of 408,000 cfs and a volume of 2,030,000 acre- feet, which is equivalent to 12.62 inches of runoff from the drainage area above the dam site.