Corps announces water release information for area dams

[FlyLie]

Corps announces water release information for area dams


NASHVILLE, TENN. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District is operating area dams along the Cumberland River and its tributaries to minimize flooding and reduce lake levels due to heavy rainfall throughout Tennessee and southern Kentucky.

The following information is currently available regarding operations at Corps dams along the Cumberland River and its tributaries.


Wolf Creek Dam on the Cumberland River, Jamestown, Ky.
· All hydropower units at Wolf Creek Dam have been shut off to minimize downstream flows and to provide flood protection for Celina and Carthage.
· As local runoff subsides the hydropower units will be brought on-line to start the process of pulling the lake level back down toward the 680 target elevation. That process is likely to begin in the next 12-24 hours.
Dale Hollow Dam on the Obey River, Celina, Tenn.
· All hydropower units have been shut off to minimize flows into Cordell Hull Lake and ultimately provide flood protection for Celina and Carthage
· As local runoff subsides the hydropower units will be opened to start the process of pulling the lake level back down. There is a good chance that spillway gates will need to be opened to pull the lake level down in a timely manner.

Cordell Hull Dam on the Cumberland River, Carthage, Tenn.
· The Cordell Hull Lake area received very large amounts of rainfall late in the day on Sunday resulting in a large inflow to the lake. In order to keep the water from going over the lock gate, a series of increases to spillway releases were implemented overnight. The Cordell Hull lake level crested at elevation 508.33.
· The process is currently underway to make flow reductions at Cordell Hull. This process is expected to continue throughout the day. The Cordell Hull reductions will result in smaller inflows to Old Hickory and ultimately to lower river stages at Carthage and points downstream, including Nashville.
· Over the next several days the lake level will be brought back down to the summer pool level of 504.0.

Center Hill Dam on the Caney Fork River, Lancaster, Tenn.
· All hydropower units have been shut off to manage flooding at Carthage. Currently the only release through Center Hill Dam is a very small flow through the orifice gate.
· As local runoff subsides and the Cumberland River at Carthage returns to a non-flooding level the hydropower units will be brought on-line to start the process of pulling the lake level back down toward the 630 target elevation. That process is likely to begin in the next 12-24 hours.

Old Hickory Dam on the Cumberland River, Hendersonville, Tenn.
· Old Hickory Lake has been used to hold back water from Nashville and was hit with heavy rainfall on Saturday and Sunday, causing the lake to reach a record elevation.
Releases from the dam began yesterday in order to bring the lake down to a safe level.
· Releases were cut Sunday night to reduce flooding in Nashville, but increased this morning when water from upstream lakes reached Old Hickory.
· The lake level at Old Hickory should fall over the next few days, allowing water managers to reduce the discharge from Old Hickory Dam beginning Monday afternoon and continuing for several days.

J. Percy Priest Dam on the Stones River, Nashville, Tenn.
· J. Percy Priest Lake has captured runoff water that has considerably reduced the flooding in Nashville and points downstream.
· Holding back water at J. Percy Priest has resulted in an unusually high lake level. The plan to reduce the lake elevation at J. Percy Priest is to continue with the current hydropower releases.
· The current releases will be supplemented tomorrow with releases from the spillway gates, but the increase in flow will not be made until the releases from Old Hickory Dam are reduced further.
· The timing of the releases from J. Percy Priest are such that the Stones River level should not increase significantly, but will hold steady.
· The result will also be a reduction in flow along the Cumberland River in Nashville.



Cheatham Dam on the Cumberland River, Ashland City, Tenn.
· Cheatham Dam is in free flow with water flowing over the top of the dam’s spillway. The dam was designed to operate in this manner in high water situations.
· Cheatham Lake reached a record level of 402.7, and the lock and resource manager’s facilities have flooded in the process.
· Cheatham will remain in free flow until river flows reach a point that the gates can be placed back in the water and water control capabilities are regained. This will be followed some time later by placing the hydropower units back in service.

Barkley Dam on the Cumberland River in Grand Rivers, Ky.
· The LRD Water Management Office has an ongoing flood control operation for the Ohio River. This means they are in control of operations at both Barkley Dam and Kentucky Dam. We are working closely with LRD and TVA staff to develop operation plans.
· The current plan has Barkley releases going to a total of 300,000 cubic feet per second. This is the largest release in the history of the project.

[peter]

Barkely releasing 300,000 cfs. Isn't that about 10 times what they can release at Wolf Creek. I wonder what that looks like.

[dpage70]

Barkely releasing 300,000 cfs. Isn't that about 10 times what they can release at Wolf Creek. I wonder what that looks like.

Here you go. http://www.kentuckylake.tv/

[Dave Stewart]

What it looks like is a mess down here....Ky Lake new projection is going up...now predicted to be 370.5 by Saturday....that is 11.5 ft over summer pool. That has not been posted on TVA site yet..but was in a message sent out to resort owners by the local Sheriffs dept shortly ago advising to prepare now for it.