Announcing closure of Cland tailwaters

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Posted 12 Dec 12,: http://www.orn.usace.army.mil/pao/Bo...-CE999-010.jpg

Note the scale in the bottom left corner. Restricted looks like it will be 500 feet.

Example of markers to be used shown.

Funny thing, one blue fishing access marker shows right at the restricted area limit. I know, that means from the sure, just looks funny.

Link for all boundarys under Nashville Corps control : Maps and Boundaries

Is McAlpine going to be effected the same way, under Louisville COE directions?

Last question: Can anyone find on the COE Nashville or Louisville pages an explanation of the warning signals/horns etc the dam/lock uses to tell fisherman they are about to start discharging rough water? I couldn't.

I found this nice quote:
Vessel operators should also heed
the warning sirens which indicate that project personnel will be
increasing flow from the dam or releasing water within the lock
discharge areas. These sirens will be operated for a period of 30
seconds, after which, there will be a 3-minute delay prior to a
release of water.

Found in the Ohio River Navigation Charts, http://www.lrl.usace.army.mil/optm/a...&MyCategory=41
on page 4.

30 seconds warning siren, then only 3 minutes till trouble. Is that time to retrieve an anchor? Is that enough time to start and engine, maybe if it takes 2 or 3 tries, and still get away. What if the motor don't start? Does that give you enough time to signal for and get help?

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http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/op/wol...df/BBD_PSA.pdf

Inadequate or no notice to anglers below dams.

From the Nashville Corps of Engineers:
NEWS RELEASE
L A K E C U M B E R L A N D
Boaters Fishing Below Dams – BEWARE!
JAMESTOWN, Ky – Take special precautions when fishing below a dam by boat. The water will “boil up” suddenly, trapping or capsizing unprepared boaters. The generators of many hydropower dams start with little or no warning. The following tips are friendly reminders from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers concerning fishing below dams.
1. ALWAYS WEAR YOUR LIFE JACKET. Wearing your lifejacket while on the water is always a smart decision. It’s also a mandatory regulation for Life Jackets to be worn while boating below Wolf Creek Dam, from the Kendall boat ramp upstream to the dam. Failure to wear a life jacket in this area could result in citation and/or possible court appearance before a U.S. Magistrate.
2. Always leave the boat motor running. A stalled or hard-to-start motor, as well as an overloaded boat, can result in disaster.
3. NEVER anchor or tie off your boat below a dam! A sudden surge of water can pull a boat under, sinking it before you have a chance to pull up the anchor and move to safety.
4. STAY OUT of all restricted areas. For Wolf Creek Dam, the restricted area begins 500 feet below the power plant only during generation start-up. However, during sluicing operations and/or spilling from the flood gates, the restricted area applies at all times.
5. Some dams are equipped with warning sirens and strobe lights which sound off or flash just prior to generation. Move to a safe area immediately when these warning devices are activated. Wolf Creek Dam, in particular, sounds an alarm before generation. Daily generation schedules can be obtained by calling 270-343-0153 or 606-678-8697 or visiting Lake Cumberland or by visiting our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/lakecumberland.
For more information concerning fishing or boating below Wolf Creek Dam, speak to a Park Ranger by calling the Lake Cumberland Natural Resource Management Office at 606-679-6337.

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Can warning signals at dams help to reduce such occurences? Since power generation schedules can "change without notice", as noted on this page, then what warning signal exists to alert prudent fisherman, aware of the posted schedule for generation, and that gives adequate warning for a prudent person to avoid that danger when an unannounced change that introduces an unforecasted risk occurs?

COE Lake Cumberland Facebook page quote:
Here is Lake Cumberland's lake elevation and generation schedule for December 4, 2012! As of 12 AM the headwater elevation is 681.86 feet above MSL and the tailwater elevation is 545.66 feet above MSL. There generation schedule for today for from 6 AM until 9 AM and 5 PM until 9 PM. [U]Please remember this is subject to change without notice or warning.[/U] WEAR IT!

I'm starting to understand more of this problem, how many have died at dams, because they thought they knew the "rules" for the day? Was there advanced warning of a generation schedule change, was their an alarm or siren, that could have warned an angler the "rules for the day just changed".