First off let me say that I am a fisherman and a civil engineer. No I have not been involved with the dam study, problems at Wolf Creek or a Corps employee. I also do feel bad about the loss of revenue that the lake lowering will cause to the area as well as the State. I am also concerned about the short term as well as the long term effects on the fishery as a whole. However, we must remember that Cumberland along with most of our lakes here in KY are flood control impoundments first and most importantly. Fishing, recreation and community commerce are adjuncts of the impoundments. I often hear how the Corps is doing this or that to hurt the fishing by raising or lowering water levels. The Corps main concern with any and all of its impoundments, along with the TVA, is the protection of those towns, cities, homes, people, etc. downstream. During periods of heavy rains these impoundments must be able to hold a substantial amount of water while the downstream tributaries get back to their normal levels. Most watersheds for these area lakes are huge and an inch or two of rain can raise them several feet in a couple of days. It may take a week or more after that for the downstream areas to recede enough so as to let the excess water out in a controlled fashion.

Having studied the hydrology of dams some seepage is common either within the dam itself or under its foundation. However, in the case of Wolf Creek this seepage has been occurring for a long time and is increasing. This poses many dangers to the dam as well as the foundation. By lowering the water levels you decrease the pressure on the dam face as well as the foundation; and, thus hopefully reduce some of the seepage. Therefore, minimizing failure risks. As the work progresses the Corps will continue to monitor seepage rates and pressures to verify that conditions remain safe. If futher drops in water levels become necessary for safety reasons then that is what will be done. I have not read or seen any news as of late concerning the dam because like most have said, media tends to play on our fears in order to keep us tuned to them for information.
In my honest opinion I hope the Corps fixes the problem correctly this time so that future problems can be avoided. Rather than give into media and/or politcal pressure for a quick fix that will accomplish nothing more than a band-aid approach. This would be even more devistating to the area economics and the fishery since the work would have to be done again.
As I stated before, I do hate to see the unfortunate impacts to the area that this is causing now. However, one must ask one's self what would the impact be to the fishery, area economics, towns, cities, people, state, ect. if nothing is done in order to give us all a place to play and fish over the next few years and a major failure would occur.

Whether it be Cumberland, Nolin, Rough, KY/Barkley, etc. these lakes exist for flood control, power production (in a few cases), water supply, etc. Recreation and all that benefits from that is secondary. Water levels and their respective time tables are set based on historical data of rainfall. Yes some years it may take longer or shorter for a lake to fill or lower to its pre-designated level. That is something that is beyond the control of man for the most part. I tend to trust what I hear from experts in the field as to what needs to be done or happen rather than some politician, local leader, marina owner, media outlet, etc. who is only concerned with or how the situation is going to affect his/her pocket book or career.

Sorry for the long post, but over the past two or so years and all the bickering about water levels and how they should be changed so as to improve fishing, extend the boating season, ect. has really begun to bother me. Most of the people making these arguements do not know the scientific reasons behind the water levels to start with. Yes I would like for the levels to be more advantageous to our fish and their habitat, but that is not what the lakes were designed or built for. This is just one of the great and beautiful outcomes. I think we should all be thankful that we have such wonderful and beautiful places like these to go and fish, hunt or just ride around on. Let the Corps do their job with our support even if you don't tend to agree. If fisheries begin showing a downward spiral then the biologists and KDFW need to work together with the Corps and address the problem. No fishery can go on for several decades and not have some type of down years and up years. The key is to manage what we have and abide by the rules. If we all do this then Cumberland will survive and flourish in the up-coming years. Yes, some stocking, size limits, creel limits, etc. may need to be changed to help it recover. But in most cases this only leads to a better than before fishery.

Thank You,

Andy Myers