In the 1940s, area landowners began lobbying for a flood control device. In 1954, the United State Congress authorized the Hillsdale Lake Project because of the strong support by local citizens and the Hillsdale Lake Development Association. Through their work, the lake became a reality. In 1973, construction funds were allocated and land acquisition began. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began construction in 1978. The dam was completed in 1982.

Hillsdale Lake contributes to flood protection on the Marais des Cygnes, Osage and Missouri rivers. The Hillsdale Reservoir is located in Miami County, Kansas. Its multipurpose pool contains 4,580 surface acres. As a flood control device, it is designed to contain up to 7,410 surface acres. By 2002, its recreational opportunities provided a destination for nearly 2 million visitors annually.

Hillsdale Lake controls a watershed covering about 144 square miles. The 92,000-acre watershed is split between four counties, as follows: Miami County- 47 percent; Johnson County- 46 percent; Douglas County- 5 percent and Franklin County- 2 percent.

Hillsdale's water quality continues to be threatened by phosphorous, nitrogen, pesticides and wastewater treatment discharges within the watershed. Pollutants in the Hillsdale Watershed cause the lake’s water to collect excessive phosphorous. This aging process is referred to as eutrophication. Phosphorous levels have promoted unwanted plant growth robbing the water of dissolved oxygen needed to support aquatic life. This process ages the lake and can also cause its water to have an undesirable odor and taste. Typical problems associated with rapid aging of lakes include: tastes and odor, increased fish kills due to a shortage of oxygen in the water, a shortage of the dissolved oxygen needed to support aquatic life and algae blooms and floating plants decrease the water's oxygen content.

In 1991, concerned citizens residing in the watershed initiated the Hillsdale Lake Water Quality Protection Project. The Project was established for the long-term protection of the lake and its watershed. The Environmental Protection Agency awarded the Project’s first funds in 1993.

The Project initiated as the result of a petition by a group of local citizens in Johnson, Miami and Franklin counties concerned about the future of the reservoir as a drinking water supply and recreation area.

The Project’s volunteer-based board of directors created committees to provide technical assistance. Citizens Management Committee, CMC and the six implementation committees were formed with seven people on each of the committees with the chairperson designated as a member of the Citizens Management Committee. The committees included: Institutionalization, Agricultural Pollutant Sources, Pollution Control Practices, Urban and Industrial Pollutant Sources, Water Quality and Information and Education. By 2002, the committees had evolved to include: Information and Education for project promotion; Water Quality Committee for monitoring issues and Pollution Control Committee for best management practices.

The Hillsdale Water Quality Project incorporated in 1998 as a 501(c)3 corporation. This was done to create an entity to carry on efforts that the project has initiated after the funds from EPA expire.

Memberships are offered through the project for a variety of costs and business-types. The costs range from Individual memberships for $15; family memberships for $20; small business memberships are $100 and large business memberships for $250. Municipal memberships vary.

The Hillsdale Water Quality Project’s work has been enhanced by partnerships among many agencies. Individuals from these organizations provide technical support to the Project. The information may range from the design of a livestock waste system to suggestions for reducing sedimentation from a construction site. This assistance allows local people to make decisions based on sound science. Providing a non-threatening arena for the exchange of ideas allows many to become involved in the protection of water quality. An expected outcome of this increased understanding with the public has been better communication among agencies for the improvement of water quality.

The Project is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment Section 319 grant program to initiate a plan of action to protect water quality in the watershed. Additional grants through the EPA’s 104b3 program have also been used. The Lake Region's Resource, Conservation and Development office (RC&D) served as the local sponsor. By 2002, more than $1.9 million has been received through the Project and used to assist in the efforts to improve, monitor and restore the water quality in Hillsdale Lake since 1993.

The Hillsdale Water Quality Project was a pilot program using the Total Resource Management System planning process to achieve improved water quality and conservation of all resources. It was the first watershed area in Kansas to use this planning process and to actively involve the local communities in the process. The planning process allows local input through problem identification and development of alternative solutions.

Along with using the plan as a tool for natural resources protection, the Project also enlists a Geographic Information System. GIS can analyze and display geographic information for land resource planning. GIS has been an excellent tool to demonstrate the implementation of pollution control practices to landowners. Currently, GIS is being used to identify priority areas for pollution control practices and storm drain locations in the watershed.

As an organization with no regulatory authority, the Hillsdale Water Quality Project has successfully initiated the implementation of pollution control practices on a voluntary basis. To date, the Project has been very effective in assisting communities with learning to protect their water resources to sustain growth and the greater demands the communities will have for water.

With increased growth occurring throughout the watershed, the demand for drinking water will continue to increase. Water quality is an important issue for the four-county area that depends on Hillsdale Lake.

The following graph shows the comparison of land use from 1994 to 1999:

The urban and residential has increased more than 10 percent. Woodlands increased about 6 percent, while grassland decreased greatly by about 11 percent and cropland decreased 4 percent. The number of acres of feedlots remained constant.

The CMC agreed to use the Total Resource Management System Planning process to develop a Watershed Resource Plan for the Watershed. In the development of the plan local, state and federal agency personnel provided information to the local people to enable them to make informed decisions on natural resource concerns. The Citizens Management Committee approved the Watershed Resource Plan in 1996.

Through this process, local people serving on the committees studied each natural resource in the watershed- soil, plant, animal, air and water individually. They identified resource concerns, developed quality criteria, inventoried the resources, developed goals and recommended solutions to enable us to reach goals of improving water quality. Through implementing practices identified in this plan it is estimated that the following pollution reductions will be achieved:

Total Suspended Solids (TSS) 35 percent

Phosphorus (P) 30 percent

Nitrogen (N) 15 percent

Organic Matter 20 percent

Fecal Bacteria 20 percent

Since the beginning, the Hillsdale Project has conducted a monitoring study on the lake and tributary streams. The data collected from this study has assisted in determining the extent of pollutants entering the streams and lake. With the implementation of pollution control practices in the watershed to reduce nonpoint source pollution, the monitoring study remains a continuous source to track the effectiveness of all pollution control, best management and educational efforts.

Hillsdale Lake is known to have an accelerated rate of eutrophication resulting from point source and nonpoint sources of phosphorus. The pesticides atrazine and alachor have been detected in Hillsdale Lake.

In any given year, the Hillsdale Water Quality Project has a limited funds allocated for the sampling of tributaries within the Hillsdale Lake Watershed. This limits the number of samples to the extent that the budget can afford. Because sampling cannot occur continuously, it is necessary to compile a series of sampling events that results in the best representation of water quality. The project does this by developing an annual monitoring plan.

The sampling year begins Jan. 1 and ends Dec. 31. It allows for a wet and dry season. The wet season begins April 15 and ends Aug. 15. The first samples were analyzed for phosphorus, nitrates, ammonia and the pesticide atrazine. Currently, the Project samples for total phosphorus, total suspended solids, total kjeldahl nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, soluble phosphorus, and atrazine. Due to the seasonal application of pesticides, atrazine is only tested for during the summer months. The remainder of the year is considered the dry season. Atrazine is not tested for during the dry period. This plan does not include random grab samples that may be taken when the project is alerted of potential spills or intentional dumping of waste.

Annually, a water quality monitoring report is compiled and submitted to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and EPA for their review.

In the wet season of 2002, the Project also completed a "first-flush" sampling program under an EPA 104b3 grant. The program included sampling for the initial runoff from storm events in area streams. The sampling parameters increased from the normal parameters the project samples for, to include ammonia and fecal coliform bacteria. A "first-flush" final summary was completed at the conclusion of the program.

A local staff supported by area volunteers is responsible for monitoring the lake's water quality, suggesting corrective procedures and educating users of the risks created by pollutants.

An initial agreement was developed between the Lake Region RC&D, the Citizens Management Committee and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for the NRCS to provide a project manager for the project. The Citizens Management Committee was responsible for paying a portion of the of the project manager's salary. NRCS originally provided a car that was available to all project staff to use for work activities and was responsible for the maintenance of the car.

Brad Horchem started as the project manager in May of 1993. NRCS also provided a computer system with two terminals for the project coordinator and staff to use and is responsible for the maintenance of this system. Over time, the board of directors agreed to oversee the position and the project manager, or executive director, eventually, the position evolved into a non-NRCS position. Janet McRae replaced Brad Horchem in 1998. She held the position unit April , 2003.  Director Gale Garber holds the position, overseeing the Project’s daily administration, including budget, office staff, public relations, implementation of the practices and Project planning.

The Project hired Marilyn Appleby as the information specialist in March 1994. She worked until July 1997. Tangela Robinson and later Paula Selby replaced her. Gale Garber was hired to the position in 2001 and held the position until she was promoted in 2003 to Director. Jennie Fyock was hired for the position in July, 2005 and currently holds the position. The information specialist is responsible for information activities such as quarterly newsletter, press releases and other forms of public promotion; Race for the Lake, Fish for the Lake event fundraising and management; maintaining databases and assisting with administrative support.

The project hired Keith Macedo as the geographic information specialist/water quality specialist in June 1995 through August 1996. Kristina Robinson replaced him. Jared Bright held the position next. Jason Downs replaced him in 2000 and held the position unit APril, 2004. The position, now referred to as the Project’s Field Representative, is responsible for maintaining the Project’s geographic information system and gathering data by collecting items as directed by the Project’s Water Quality Sampling Plan, produces water sample analysis, maintains water monitoring stations, digitizes geographic information, analyzes spatially attributed data and develops maps to illustrate the data. This position is not currently held.

Project volunteers are a reflection of the changes that are occurring in the watershed. These different groups - producers, urban dwellers and business and industry areas have been working together to determine the best methods for protecting water quality.

Local residents of the watershed have been the driving force behind this community-based environmental program. Volunteers from the watershed serve on committees that make decisions that will influence factors in protecting the water quality for their communities. The project is a pilot program for using the total Resource Management System planning process to achieve improved water quality. The process is used in problem identification, solution development and project refinement. There is a high interest level in the project from local, state and federal agencies and organizations as well as local citizens.