Cumberland Dam Health
Recent reports about the Dam at Cumberland Lake certainly have stirred my interest as an avid boater. I was aware of some concerns, but certainly not that the Corp of Engineers placed the dam as one of the top 6 in the country for possible catastrophic failure. This is compared with 700 other dams the Corps manages.
Corps fears dam in Ky. might fail
The corps announced that it would lower the lake's pool level by 10 feet to decrease pressure on the 240-foot-high dam, which is in Southern Kentucky's Russell County. The corps has begun working to correct a problem of water seepage through the dam's foundation.
The lake would remain at the new level -- 680 feet -- for at least a year and perhaps as long as seven years, a corps official said. That's 43 feet below the normal summer pool of 723 feet. The move will leave up to 90 percent of the lake's boat ramps out of the water and raise the lake's temperature, which could have a catastrophic effect on fishing for trout and other cold-water fish, state officials said.
The financial impact on all the surrounding counties will be devastating. The striper fishing and trout fishing may be irreparably damaged by this change. I know many people with property, houseboats etc. who regularly recreate at Lake Cumberland, and it will certainly be much more difficult to do all of these activities.
Anyone who has visited Cumberland Dam can certainly understand the impact of what a catastrophic failure would do to the communities downstream. The tremendous amount of water held in Lake Cumberland would flood and destroy communities well into the Nashville area.
Corps fears dam in Ky. might fail
The corps announced that it would lower the lake's pool level by 10 feet to decrease pressure on the 240-foot-high dam, which is in Southern Kentucky's Russell County. The corps has begun working to correct a problem of water seepage through the dam's foundation.
The lake would remain at the new level -- 680 feet -- for at least a year and perhaps as long as seven years, a corps official said. That's 43 feet below the normal summer pool of 723 feet. The move will leave up to 90 percent of the lake's boat ramps out of the water and raise the lake's temperature, which could have a catastrophic effect on fishing for trout and other cold-water fish, state officials said.
The financial impact on all the surrounding counties will be devastating. The striper fishing and trout fishing may be irreparably damaged by this change. I know many people with property, houseboats etc. who regularly recreate at Lake Cumberland, and it will certainly be much more difficult to do all of these activities.
Anyone who has visited Cumberland Dam can certainly understand the impact of what a catastrophic failure would do to the communities downstream. The tremendous amount of water held in Lake Cumberland would flood and destroy communities well into the Nashville area.
posted by Anonymous at 5:44 AM
2 Comments:
I've always wanted to take a dam tour of the Cumberland dam. I wonder who's the dam tour guide down there?
Medrep
Nolin Lake is nice, you should try it instead of Cumberland
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