New post about Cumberland..

[mhall]

Excuse me, MHall, I hope you are correct in "your assessment" of the dam. While you make a few nice sounding points, there are more IMPORTANT THINGS like lives and property at stake. If the power plants at Burnside and the dam are shut down there will still be enough power. They are small compared to many other power plants. The inability to generate revenue from a small power plant is a great tax write-off.

If you haven't read the news report that was released yesterday by The Associated Press, please take the time to read it at this address:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070122/.../dangerous_dam

MAY 2007 BE THE BEST FOR ALL WHO FISH!

I have read it and have been keeping up with this for quite awhile now. The Corp has made it very clear that at the 680 level there is no real emminent danger to life or limb if complete failure of the dam occured. I would and have not ever put my personal recreation in front of another persons property or God forbid their safety. I think you have taken me a bit out of context here. And just for the record those aren't tiny little power plants down there either. This wasn't my assessment of the dam this was the ACOE and it is only being lowered to that level and held there as an absolute measure of safety in a worse case senario.

[stoner]

I have not kept up with the dam repair on the C but is it a permanent draw down or is it temporary? Just wandering I'm out of the loop.
Stoner

[PRO V LE]

I wonder how this will affect Grider Hill? I imagine they can handle water that low..

Hey Duayne go to Lakecumberland.com forums. They started moving things yesterday, Rick has a description of what is going where.
Good to hear from you.

[Duayne]

Thanks Dave. I'll bookmark the site. I don't see anything there on Grider yet, but I'll look deeper. I asumed from the get go that Grider would be OK. Did anything happen with the sale of Grider? I haven't heard anything..

[KYHorseflys]

Here's an article from the courier-journal.com:

Lowering lake level could affect boating, fishing
Tourist overcrowding, harm to fish possible

By Gary Garth
Special to The Courier-Journal

Yesterday's announcement by the Corps of Engineers that they intend to lower Lake Cumberland to 680 feet above sea level will mean challenges for boaters and fishermen in the state's largest lake.

The move is aimed to lower pressure on Wolf Creek Dam near Jamestown, Ky., until repairs can be made to the seeping foundation.



A surface level of 680 feet above sea level is 43 feet below Cumberland's normal summer pool. The surface acres of water will be reduced from 50,250 to about 37,000.

"Cumberland is known for its pleasure boaters," veteran guide Tim Tarter said. "You'll be putting all those people in (one-fourth) less water. My worry is that Cumberland is very busy with tourists on weekends anyway. You put them on (one-fourth) less water and add a little alcohol, and you could have problems."

It also will place many boat ramps out of the water, but that can be solved in many cases by extending existing ramps.

Those who make their living on the lake tried to take a positive view.

"I heard a guy say one time that 90 percent of catching the fish is eliminating 10 percent of the water," guide Greg Cary said. "It sounds like the Corps is going to do that for us; more than that, I guess."

A primary concern is that lower water levels could threaten the striped bass, walleye and smallmouth bass that make the lake a destination for fishermen.

Benji Kinman, director of fisheries for the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, said maintaining the cold-water zones in the deep lake is key. The main threat with less water is rain. "A wet spring is what we don't want," Kinman said. "… If we have a wet spring, then that will replace the cool water with warm water."

A reduction in this cool-water habitat zone -- typically a 50-foot slice of water at varying depths below the surface -- could place considerable stress on the lake's striped bass and walleye populations, Kinman added, and to a lesser degree smallmouth bass.

"Smallmouth seem to move more," he said. "Striper and walleye tend to stay in one zone even when it becomes stressful."

A drawdown of the lake also will affect more than 70 miles of Cumberland River trout water that flow below Wolf Creek Dam. Trout need well-oxygenated, cold water (ideally in the mid-50s to mid-60s).

Kinman said he thinks this is manageable. Two years ago the Corps, at the state's request, opened the dam's sluice gates when dissolved oxygen levels dipped into the danger zone. It worked. Dissolved oxygen levels bounced back into the trout safety zone.

A byproduct of a severe drawdown is very high water levels in the tailwater.

"The fish will still be there, and they still have to eat," said Cary, who fishes both the lake and tailwater. Adding that with water running up on banks to tree lines, it will make it harder to find the fish.

Chuck Strange owns Strange Bait Co. downriver in Burkesville. He says 75 percent of his business is directly tied to the Cumberland tailwater trout fishery. Like everyone connected with the region's fishing industry he greeted the drawdown news with a whatever-it-takes attitude. The safety of the dam supersedes all other concerns.

"I don't see how it can be good for the fishery," he said. "But there's not a whole lot you can do. The Corps of Engineers will do what they have to do."

[PRO V LE]

Thanks Dave. I'll bookmark the site. I don't see anything there on Grider yet, but I'll look deeper. I asumed from the get go that Grider would be OK. Did anything happen with the sale of Grider? I haven't heard anything..

Under forums go to marina communities then Grider Hill.
The new general manager is Diann Boone. (UK) Rick is now the dock fuel pier manager. Do'nt know about rate increases yet.

[371V]

They drew Lake Murray (SC) down for dam repairs a couple of years ago for a lengthy period. Small saplings grew up all around the shore which made some good sparse cover.. I'm with mhall on fishing a drawn down lake. They really stack up fish in the fall and winter. In the spring though, I think it's better to have the lake full or close to it. While water stability is a must for a successful spawn, shore line cover is very important for the survival of the bass fry. If it were my local lake, I would plant some additional shallow brush for them..... and some deeper brush for myself!

[jigman73]

From reading the corps release this is what I understand. The corp plans on holding at 680 until sept-oct 2007 then reevaluating. They are trying to do something about making ramps accessible. I've heard rumors of a drawdown to 610-620 ft but I think they are false. My last statement here tells why. So, don't panic cause everything will be fine. Oh, IMO, I don't think this will stop the pleasure boats this summer either, cause when those folks get a couple of cases in them they will do almost anything or go anywhere.....

lowest level recorded 665.11 Nov 1954
second 675.10 on Jan 27 1981
third 677.85 on Feb 9 1977 (during repair)

considered dead at 673 (unless severe drought lake cannot be drawn below this level as the river inflow is greater than the small sluice gates at bottom of the dam can release.

[Duayne]

Thanks, Dave!! I found it.. I'll register now.

[Duayne]

Thanks MHall. Can't say as I've left. I just don't post much. Haven't had a chance to get on the lake since Nov. I'll start thinking of heading down that way.

[RoadToad]

First let me say that I've only recently bought my first boat, and have never been to Lake Cumberland, but I've been looking forward to going for some time, so I've been following this subject closely. Based on what's been published (and posted) on this subject so far, it seems to me that if the drawdown only lasts the minimum one year, and there isn't a wet spring in the area, then the fishery won't be harmed much in the short term, and there may be long term benefits from the brush that would grow along the banks in the meantime. If, however, the drawdown lasts seven years or more, the temperature changes in the lake will likely cause harm to some of the fish populations, which may take longer to recover from. I think the reality is probably going to be somewhere between one and seven years, so we can only hope that the short-term damage isn't too bad. No matter what, I believe the end result will be an improved fishery. Again, this comes from someone who's never actually fished the lake, so I welcome any responses, particularly from those of you who have.

[mhall]

First let me say that I've only recently bought my first boat, and have never been to Lake Cumberland, but I've been looking forward to going for some time, so I've been following this subject closely. Based on what's been published (and posted) on this subject so far, it seems to me that if the drawdown only lasts the minimum one year, and there isn't a wet spring in the area, then the fishery won't be harmed much in the short term, and there may be long term benefits from the brush that would grow along the banks in the meantime. If, however, the drawdown lasts seven years or more, the temperature changes in the lake will likely cause harm to some of the fish populations, which may take longer to recover from. I think the reality is probably going to be somewhere between one and seven years, so we can only hope that the short-term damage isn't too bad. No matter what, I believe the end result will be an improved fishery. Again, this comes from someone who's never actually fished the lake, so I welcome any responses, particularly from those of you who have.

I'd say you have a very fair assessment of what may take place, we will see for sure.