Tennessee officials say the new Reelfoot Lake spillway will be made operational as soon as possible. Government representatives and community members have have voiced concerns over the length of time it is taking to transition to the new spillway, which was built in 2012. But officials say they are taking the necessary time to ensure a smooth transition to the new structure.
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Administration’s Dave McKinney said there are several factors delaying the new spillway from becoming operational. He said a current priority is determining how the new spillway’s automated electric system will affect water level management. Nashville’s USGS Chief of Surface Water Investigations Bill Wolfe said he is working to publish a report by the end of September that will help TWRA determine how to maintain regular water levels with the new system.
McKinney said another delaying factor is a soon-to-expire contract between Tennessee and the U-S Fish and Wildlife Service which has managed the old spillway since 1941.
USFWS’s Project Leader for West Tennessee Refuges Randy Cook said the plan is to draw up a new agreement that allows USFWS to continue managing water levels at Reelfoot Lake using the new spillway. Cook explained USFWS was brought in to manage the water levels in 1941 due to the conflicting interests of agriculture and recreation. Since 1991, Cook said, water levels have been kept lower in the summer to satisfy farmers’ needs and higher in the winter for recreational purposes. He said this will not change because of the new spillway.
In response to concerns of possible flooding as a result of the new spillway, McKinney said he doesn’t expect there to be any change from regular flooding experiences of previous years. He said if the transition between spillways is done correctly, there will be no noticeable change in water levels management.
McKinney said he will not speculate on when the new spillway will become operational because “it is unnecessary.”
“We will take the time necessary to make sure that everyone is comfortable making the transition from the old spillway to the new spillway,” McKinney said. “At the time that transition is complete and that comfort level is achieved, then the old spillway will come completely out of service.”
The Tennessee Department of Transportation’s Nichole Lawrence said TDOT partnered with the TWRA to build the multi-million dollar spillway in conjunction with the replacement of a bridge on State Route 21. Officials say the old spillway needed to be replaced because it is deteriorating and leaking.
