The first phase of the dredging of an eastern Kansas reservoir has been completed.

The Emporia Gazette reports that the dredging of sediment from the bottom of the John Redmond Reservoir on the Neosho River began in mid-May. The project was started after a study determined water supply needs in the region couldn’t be sustained during a drought.

Officials considered building new reservoirs or importing water, but ultimately decided that dredging to restore water supply storage space at the site would be the most cost-effective solution.

A total of 3,000,000 cubic yards of sediment was removed from John Redmond. The sediment has been placed in confined disposal facilities on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land and private property.