Announcing closure of Cland tailwaters

[HURRICANEBOB]

Click for the notice:

http://www.orn.usace.army.mil/pao/pd...rps%20Dams.pdf

and :
Restricted Areas Around Dams.

Make sure you click and watch the videos. I guess they represent the dangers.

So for safety purposes:
1. When you we get the "Thunderboats" off Cumberland?
2. When do we set a maximum speed limit on Corps Lakes, you know something safe like 55 mph max? As opposed to the 70 mph 300 hp bass boats, and the Twin Turbine Baja's running 90 + ? Example Wild boat accident caught on tape | HLNtv.com
3. When do we get tow boats off the Ohio River? Example Portion of bridge collapses after tow boat accident - 14 News, WFIE, Evansville, Henderson, Owensboro. They have not had a good record lately.
4. The Corps says this is the reason "Since 2009, three fatalities, one serious injury and 10 near misses/rescues have occurred in the hazardous waters immediately downstream of dams on the Cumberland River and its adjoining tributaries.
NOW COMPARE THAT TO ALL BOATING ACCIDENTS IN 2011 AT THE ATTACHED LINK. I think we got bigger boating hazards to fix. http://www.uscgboating.org/assets/1/...ations/557.PDF

[Lowerider]

Exactly right Bob. Totally unjustified and ridiculous. Starting to get pissed living in this country (rant over).

[HURRICANEBOB]

Got it!

Sit way back from the dam, and launch a remote controlled battery powered 2 foot boat that will carry your lure or live bait up to the dam and drop it.

If the toy boat gets sunk, call it in and report another hampster operator and mouse passenger lost to the tailwaters. :-)

Before long, small rodents won't be able to operate watercraft on corps lakes anymore. LMAOROF.

[kygorski]

I forgot what dam it was, somewhere in alabama maybe, where they used radio controlled boats to fish in the tail waters. You know they can't outlaw stupitity, they they can make it against the law to do stupid things. Boating can become dangerous sometimes, I know I was darn lucky to out run a storm on lake michigan, if I would have paid attention to the NOAH radio it wouldn't have happened.

[jastew]

There reasoning behind this is about safety, but....

Why is it, that our government is always so worried about keeping us safe? If I am willing to take a risk, I'm just hurting me. If I wanna sky dive, rock climb, drive a motorcycle without a helmet, not wear a seat belt, run with scissors....etc. Then it's my right to do that, how is that anyone else's buisiness?

Put up a sign that says "Hey dummy, the water's rough, you might drown, proceed at your own risk", then let ME decide!

More Nanny State BS.

[semi75]

I have a different take on this mostly because as a police officer I've seen people very stupid things on the water and around the much easier to deal with locks. I never boated directly below a dam so I'm not loosing as much as many of you guys but I don't have a problem with the regulations.The risk isn't just about you.

It only takes one dummy to put a lot of rescue workers life in danger and how many dummies do you think has done that over the years? When it is very easy to prevent the behavior and risk it makes sense to implement the policy. I do question whether 500ft may be a bit much but I'm not an engineer.

[Lowerider]

The point is there has been SO FEW accidents that this, on the surface, appears to be a major overstep.

I'd bet water rescue is needed more often in a single year on Lake Cumberland than what's been needed below these tailwaters over a 30 year period. So based on that logic we should just ban boating on the lake altogether?

Same could be said for any number of activities... backwoods hiking, rock climbing, etc.

People take risks, and others CHOSE a profession to bail them out.

The punishment does not fit the crime in this case.

500 feet is not much at all when it comes to how turbulent the water (still) is. My understanding is the boundary below Wolf will start at the end of the concrete wall on the bank that people fish off of.

[Shellkat]

That wall is not even close to 500, maybe 150

[peter]

Regarding the video. Yes that is a very dangerous place. Some tailwaters have very dangerous places at given times. I guess most on this board have stayed away from those dangerous places by virtue of being here to read and post.

There are places I will fish and places I will not. I only fish places where the water is moving away from the dam or moving toward the dam in the direction of a non threatening destination should I loose power. For example, I don't fish the tainter gates up close at McAlpine.

Typically I don't anchor close to the dam. Occasionally I will anchor where the water smooths out. I always have a very sharp fillet knife at hand to cut the anchor rope should the water get ugly quickly.

I used to fish at alone at night extensively at mcalpine and it was obvious what would happen if I took a dive anchored vs drifting. A boat and a person should drift at about the same rate.

Regarding life vests. The guy who survived the incident at the dam said he could not find the cord to inflate his life vest. If you hit your head on the way in you wont be able to find the cord. Some auto inflate. My car is always supposed to start, my computer is supposed to work. You likely will only require being saved by your life vest "maybe" once or twice so it has to work 100%.

Give me foam! It always works!

Sent from my iPad using Forum Runner

[Lowerider]

That wall is not even close to 500, maybe 150

Just reporting what Sasser told me main guy at Wolf creek dam told him.

I'd say wall is more than 150 but who knows... Depends where you start. Sluice gates sit farther back than hydros

[HURRICANEBOB]

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.

[HURRICANEBOB]

Q7. How many fatalities have there been in tailwaters below dams along the Cumberland River and its adjoining tributaries?

Answer: Records show the number of fatalities in the tailwater below dams is available since 1970. There have been 14 over that time period.

Questions and Answers

42 years divided by 14 lost = 1 lost life every 3 years. Tragic I admit. What Corps lake can match that? What 50 mile stretch of US Interstate highway can match that? Hmmmmmmm.

Q10. How many fatalities due to drowning have occurred on Corps property since 1970?

Answer: 881, with 14 of them in the tailwaters. Since 2009, three fatalities, one serious injury and 10 near misses/rescues have occurred in hazardous waters immediately downstream of dams on the Cumberland River and its adjoining tributaries. Life jacket wear has been ineffective in these areas, since all of the victims who drowned wore a life jacket.