Results of an experimental investigation of the inhomogeneous, three‐dimensional flow around a surface mounted cube in a channel are presented. LDA measurements of single‐point velocity correlations are used to determine the production, convection and transport of the turbulence kinetic energy,k, in the obstacle wake. The turbulence dissipation rate is obtained as a closing term to the balance of thek‐transport equation. The results provide some insight to the evolution of the turbulence dissipation rate from the near field recirculation zone to the asymptotic wake. Also presented is a comparison between measured and modeled transport terms. ©1996 American Institute of Physics.