Milford Lake is the largest man-made lake in Kansas.

It is fed by the Republican River and collects water from throughout the Milford Lake Watershed. It covers over 15,700 acres and includes over 33,000 acres of protected land for recreational and hunting use. Construction on the lake began in 1962 by the Army Corps of Engineers by damming the Republican River, and the reservoir was filled by 1967. Each year, thousands of people use the Milford Lake area for boating, fishing, paddling, hunting, hiking, mountain biking, and OHV recreation.

Milford is an important lake for Kansans. Over 800,000 Kansas residents, or more than 1/3 of the state’s population, drink water that originates from Milford. The reservoir is maintained by the Army Corp of Engineers, and the Milford Lake Dam plays an important role in flood control in the region and beyond. Water from Milford is released back into the Republican River, which joins the Kansas River before flowing into Missouri River.