Cumberland The Big Rise

[mhall]

The good news is...that it will fall, just as fast as it rised...yes?
But Im sure they are sweeting it at the dam!!!......It would seem, that even with the problems down south a ways...that getting the water back down...and fast, should take priority over everything...??

The problem with that is, they can't right now due to flooding issues. From what I understand the Corp is being urged to not let out too much water right as to not elevate an already bad situation with the river level.

[demodan]

The problem with that is, they can't right now due to flooding issues. From what I understand the Corp is being urged to not let out too much water right as to not elevate an already bad situation with the river level.

I can understand that mhall....But Im still,... not quite getting what is really up with this dam project....I guess Im just a little sceptic abouit the dam project, have been from he start.
First... they are reparing it, becouse of the "unstable ground below"...which makes for an unstable dam...dangerous they say...and Im sure it is!

Second..some say it really can't be fixed 100% (I tend to agree with this assesment;...from my little minor in geology).

Third....The core says it can be fixed...with some amount of hard work and time....How much time???....How much money for the hard work (millions upon millions...10 million...maybe a billion...who know really), hell that amount of money can solve many problems in this world...But not mother nature doesn't have an bank account??

Fourth...Have they really started fixing the problem...some say "not yet; still in the assesment planning stages" (from what I heard...Im not sure..anybody)??!

fith...If it can hold what it's doing today...and what it's going to get tomarrow...then is the dam in really that bad of shape...as the core says it is???? I mean...if they can hold what it's doing now....and they can "hold off" on opening the doors wide the freek open..becouse of the situation in the South...then how bad can the dam be??.....Im just a little sceptical...something isn't quite matching up for me.
It reminds me of the "black-hole" theory...We will keep throwing money at it...and it will just **** it up..and never stop. I wonder if the core has any job openings! I Could be off base here...but not so sure. But if it is as bad as they make it out to be; and if I was at the controls; and my butt was on the line...regardless of the flooding in the south...those doors would be wide open...as far as they can be open...right!! What would be the alternative??

[mhall]

According to what I've gathered this morning there are homes and properties in compromise down stream. They are hoping by letting the down stream water calm a little for a few days and then opening her up they can hopefully not flood anybody.

This is the discussion as I understand it right now.

[adam7456]

The good news is...that it will fall, just as fast as it rised...yes?

Unfortunately no. Even when they were pulling down the lake hard back in March and also last May the most they were lowing the lake was 1.5ft per day, that was with the sluce gates open. The lake is up 12 feet in the last 2 days. It would take 8 days of no rain and the lake being pulled at it's max to get back down where it was. On top of that the lake is still rising they aren't letting anything out of the lake other than 280 cf/s that is getting through the sluce gates.

As a comparison to last May they were pulling 32,920 cf/s during the heavy rain. The lake peaked at 697.58 ft last May 11th. It took until May 27th before the lake hit 681 ft which is where they were holding it at.

[elnutsmalljaws]

Do you guys think there is any chance of being able to fish Friday and Saturday?

If you are referring to fishing during the daytime and pretty much idling from spot to spot then sure you can fish Friday and Saturday. But if you are referring to fishing at night, not on your life because that is what you are jeopardizing. The big floaters that are sticking out of the water "usually" are not the problem because people can see them and dodge them. The big floaters that are so water logged and are floating just under the surface or close enough that you can't see because of waves are the real danger. I love to fish as much as the next guy and maybe more but Cumberland will be floater heaven for at least 10 days or more depending. What some don't understand is the Cumberland River goes out the dam, down thru Burkesville and Celina and right thru Nashville over and up into Barkley then into the Mississippi River. With the 20 plus inches of rain in Nashville and all the damage in Central/Western TN - right thru the heartland of the Cumberland River, will make letting too much water out even more of a challenge. Somebody is trying to decide the lesser of two evils, Evil #1 hold it back to let Nashville and surrounding areas drain a bit, but in doing so put more stress on the Dam that is in such bad shape they have lowered the lake level 40 feet to eliminate stress on the dam. Evil #2, open the gates wide open at Lake Cumberland to relieve pressure of the Dam and put more water downstream to folks that are under water already. I saw a study some years ago that said if the Dam broke at Lake Cumberland when it was at full pool, 723 I think it is, that there would be 30 feet of water standing in the Tennessee Titans Football Stadium in Nashville Tennessee, not to mention Burkesville and Celina would see flooding of Biblical proportion. Imagine with all the water on the ground now if the Dam Broke, what 50 feet in the Stadium, 60???? Biblical would be the word because no telling how many would lose their lives and how much property damage. My guess is it would be the worst disaster in the history and that is including Hurricane Katrina

[goingIke]

Boys I think its safe to say that our FLW tournament on cumberland this weekend will be canceled.

[Les Young]

Demodan, You've got to be kidding me. It's worth every effort the Corps can give to hold back as much as possible. It would be awful to unleash all that water on the folks that are in worse shape than we are. If the dam breaks it will be devestating, but THERE SHOULD BE WAYMORE CONCERN FOR HUMAN LIFE THAH YOU EVIDENTLY HAVE !!! You've got some serious issues.

[smokefan]

I was over there a few years ago with a friend after a weeks hard rain. It scared me bad. There was everything from 30ft logs to refrigators floatin. It wasnt bad during the day but after dark it was hairy. What took us 20 minutes during the day took use what seemed like 2 hours to get back. I also dont think it helped that they were pulling water pretty hard too...

[coombro]

Big South Fork of the Cumberland is 28ft. high snd pushing 40,000cfs we white water kayak it at 1,200 and less. lake Cumberlands going to be rising for quite some time. Thats water coming from Tenn. Did'nt check to see what cCumberland from eastern Ky. is doing.

[Redskeeter]

Demodan, You've got to be kidding me. It's worth every effort the Corps can give to hold back as much as possible. It would be awful to unleash all that water on the folks that are in worse shape than we are. If the dam breaks it will be devestating, but THERE SHOULD BE WAYMORE CONCERN FOR HUMAN LIFE THAH YOU EVIDENTLY HAVE !!! You've got some serious issues.

Les I dont think he was showing a lack of concern of human life but was merely stating that if the dam has a possibility of failure with all that water behind it that they should be letting as much water out as they can. Yes there would be some property destroyed down river but, if the dam broke with all that water behind it there would be nothing left of Celina, Burkesville, most of Nashville, and many other small communities along the way.

[smashdn]

Clarksville TN is in bad shape now too.

[demodan]

Demodan, You've got to be kidding me. It's worth every effort the Corps can give to hold back as much as possible. It would be awful to unleash all that water on the folks that are in worse shape than we are. If the dam breaks it will be devestating, but THERE SHOULD BE WAYMORE CONCERN FOR HUMAN LIFE THAH YOU EVIDENTLY HAVE !!! You've got some serious issues.

Thanks Les Young...I appricate your assessment of me. In my own deffense..I have much concern over human life..that is why my job has me in a trama unit ...where we save lives everyday; and that I've spent 12 years of my life educating and training to help others that are in a crisis??...Yea, I have no regard of human life, yea, right?... We all have issues dude...? But you making this personal is out of line for the context..Im just saying...that if the dam is in the bad shape that we are being told that it is, and they have to drop the water level for years on end... and the millions "we" are spending on this project....Yet it can hold back maybe one of the quickest rises in water level in many years on the lake...and it can be held back with more to come for days, "to help out those in need below"....Then how bad is it dam...really?? Evedently there is no cause for alarm at the dam...becouse if it was...then they wouldn't have a choice but to open all gates...for the sake of others...dig. It just doesn't add up to me...even I with my issues...and little regard for human life...I can connect the dots...oh...you can kiss my bass!