Published: February 16, 2007 08:42 am      

Doing The Back Stroke

Corps now insists Lake Cumberland will not be lowered to 650 feet

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has drafted a letter to media outlets to clarify reports coming out of a meeting in Russell Springs Wednesday with Gov. Ernie Fletcher and his staff that gave 11 communities a December 31 deadline to prepare water intakes for a level of 650 feet above sea level.

A Corps spokesman emphasized “because we told communities to be prepared does not mean we’re going to lower the lake.” The Corps spokesman said he was referring to a report in a metropolitan newspaper and had not read the Commonwealth Journal story yesterday about the Russell Springs meeting.

A Commonwealth Journal editor insisted that he read the story from the newspaper’s Web site. “If it is wrong, inaccurate or unfair, we’ll correct it,” the editor promised.

“It appears to be fair,” he commented.

Following is the text of the Corps’ letter:

NASHVILLE (February 15, 2007) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is not lowering Lake Cumberland an additional 30 feet to Elevation 650 feet as has been reported by the media in the last 24 hours.

The commander of the Nashville District, Lt. Col. Steven J. Roemhildt, sent a letter, dated 9 Feb. 2007, to eleven water supply users requesting them to lower their water intakes to elevation 650. An excerpt of that letter states:

“Based on conditions at the project, a possibility always exists that we may lower the pool even more. Because of this real possibility, you need to take necessary measures to allow for water intake with the lake at Elevation 650 feet NGVD29. We recommend that these measures be in place no later than 31 December 2007.”

(NGVD29 is National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929, which the vertical datum reference used by the Corps of Engineers. “Elevation 650 feet above sea level” is another way of saying this.)

The recommendation to water supply users is based on contingency planning by the Corps of Engineers in the event that further lake level reductions are necessary.

The decision to lower Lake Cumberland to Elevation 680 feet and continue that lake level through the end of 2007 has not changed. If conditions changed at Wolf Creek Dam such as a sinkhole or an abnormal reading of instruments in the dam, the Corps of Engineers would further lower lake elevation to reduce risk. Currently no such condition exists and there are no plans to lower Lake Cumberland below Elevation 680.

The Corps of Engineers has started an expedited grouting program, where lean concrete is being pumped into the foundation of the dam at critical locations. The Corps of Engineers plans to complete this program around the September – October 2007 period. During the Fall of this year, the Corps of Engineers will make a decision on the elevation of Lake Cumberland for 2008. The elevation for 2008 may remain at 680, may be raised or may be lowered. The Corps of Engineers will base this decision upon the results of the grouting program and the conditions of Wolf Creek Dam at that time.

The Corps of Engineers constantly monitors Wolf Creek Dam and continually evaluates the appropriate lake level based on conditions at the dam and will adjust lake levels as necessary to operate the lake and to reduce risk.