The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is now reducing the amount of water flowing through Barkley and Kentucky dams. Because of recent heavy rainfall, the pools at the dams will begin to rise well above normal for this time of year.
Tennessee River watershed has received nearly two times the amount of rain we normally would get in Dec. and nearly three times the runoff.
— Tennessee Valley Authority (@TVAnews) December 31, 2015
Until Wednesday, the dam gates were wide open, spilling more than 750,000 gallons of water per second (100,000 cfs) at Lake Barkley in order to keep lake levels steady. More than 2.2 million gallons of water per second (303,000 cfs) were released Wednesday at Kentucky Dam.
As the gates are closed, the pool at Barkley is expected to crest between 368 and 370 feet above mean sea level next Thursday, January 7. That’s around 15 feet above the normal pool for this time of year.
The Corps of Engineers advises boaters to exercise safety near the dams - the high waters could bring potentially large debris.
