Lake Cumberland
Encyclopedia
Lake Cumberland is a reservoir
in Clinton
, Laurel
, McCreary
, Pulaski
, Russell
, and Wayne
counties in Kentucky
. The primary reasons for its construction were a means for flood control and the production of hydroelectric power. Its shoreline measures 1,255 miles (2,020 km) and the lake is spread over 65530 acres (265 km²) at the top of the power pool. The reservoir ranks 9th in the U.S. in size, with a capacity of 6100000 acre.ft of water, enough to cover the entire Commonwealth of Kentucky with 3 inches (76 mm) of water. The main lake is 101 miles (163 km) long and over one mile (1.6 km) across at its widest point. The lake has become a major source of tourism and an economic engine for south-central Kentucky. As of September 2011 lake Cumberland is approximately 50 feet (15.2 m) below its normal level due to a crack in the dam that is supposed to be fixed in the upcoming years. They have yet to come to a recognized solution to fix the dam because of the caverns that are underneath the structure so there is no best way to "seal" the crack.
by the United States Army Corps of Engineers
' construction of the Wolf Creek Dam
in 1952. Wolf Creek Dam is the 25th largest dam in the United States, and cost $15 million to construct originally, with an additional $65 million needed almost immediately to fix problems which became soon apparent. It is estimated that the dam has prevented more than $500 million in flood damages since its construction.
On January 22, 2007, the United States Army Corps of Engineers
began lowering the water level in Lake Cumberland, fearing a break in Wolf Creek Dam. Water seepage has eroded the limestone under the dam, creating the potential for a breach and subsequent flood that would cause damages into the billions of dollars in cities downstream, including Nashville, Tennessee
. The water level, currently at its winter fill level of 690 feet (210 m) altitude, is scheduled to be lowered to a level of 680 feet (207 m) rather than being allowed to fill to its summer fill level of 723 feet (220 m), reducing the lake's summer surface area from 50000 to 35000 acre (202.3 to 141.6 km2). The Corps of Engineers will then attempt to curb the leakage by filling affected areas with grout
while simultaneously filling a portion of the dam with concrete as a more permanent solution.
The drop in water level is expected to have a negative impact on the area's tourism
industry as marina
s scramble to adjust their facilities for the lower water level. Total cost to tourism-related businesses is expected to exceed $12 million. By June 2007, wildlife officials were already beginning to notice higher-than-normal water temperatures in the river below Wolf Creek Dam, which posed a major threat to the river's brown
and rainbow trout
populations.
s float on Lake Cumberland and numerous power boats play in its waters.
Lake Cumberland is home to two Kentucky state parks: Lake Cumberland State Resort Park
on its shore and General Burnside State Park
on an island in the middle of the lake.
Several of Kentucky's record fish have been taken in the waters of Lake Cumberland, including:
The lowest water level recorded (since construction) was 675.10 feet (205.77 m) above mean sea level on January 27, 1981. The highest water level recorded was 751.70 feet (229.12 m) above mean sea level at 2:00AM, May 13, 1984.
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
in Clinton
Clinton County, Kentucky
Clinton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1836. As of 2000, the population was 9,634. Its name is in honor of the seventh Governor of New York State, DeWitt Clinton. Its county seat is Albany, Kentucky, and it is a prohibition or dry county...
, Laurel
Laurel County, Kentucky
Laurel County is a county in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The population was 58,849 in the 2010 Census. Its county seat is London.The London Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Laurel County....
, McCreary
McCreary County, Kentucky
McCreary County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 17,080. Its county seat is Whitley City. The county is named for James B. McCreary, a Confederate war hero and Governor of Kentucky from 1875 to 1879. It is the only Kentucky county to not have a...
, Pulaski
Pulaski County, Kentucky
Pulaski County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The population was 63,063 in the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Somerset6. The county is named for Count Kazimierz Pułaski. Most of the county is a prohibition or dry county...
, Russell
Russell County, Kentucky
Russell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The population was 17,565 in the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Jamestown. The county is named for William Russell...
, and Wayne
Wayne County, Kentucky
Wayne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 19,923. Its county seat is Monticello. The county was named for Gen. Anthony Wayne. It is a prohibition or dry county.-History:...
counties in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. The primary reasons for its construction were a means for flood control and the production of hydroelectric power. Its shoreline measures 1,255 miles (2,020 km) and the lake is spread over 65530 acres (265 km²) at the top of the power pool. The reservoir ranks 9th in the U.S. in size, with a capacity of 6100000 acre.ft of water, enough to cover the entire Commonwealth of Kentucky with 3 inches (76 mm) of water. The main lake is 101 miles (163 km) long and over one mile (1.6 km) across at its widest point. The lake has become a major source of tourism and an economic engine for south-central Kentucky. As of September 2011 lake Cumberland is approximately 50 feet (15.2 m) below its normal level due to a crack in the dam that is supposed to be fixed in the upcoming years. They have yet to come to a recognized solution to fix the dam because of the caverns that are underneath the structure so there is no best way to "seal" the crack.
History
Lake Cumberland was impounded from the Cumberland RiverCumberland River
The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...
by the United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
' construction of the Wolf Creek Dam
Wolf Creek Dam
The Wolf Creek Dam is a multi-purpose dam on the Cumberland River in the western part of Russell County, Kentucky, United States. The dam serves at once four distinct purposes: it generates hydroelectricity; it regulates and limits flooding; it releases stored water to permit year-round navigation...
in 1952. Wolf Creek Dam is the 25th largest dam in the United States, and cost $15 million to construct originally, with an additional $65 million needed almost immediately to fix problems which became soon apparent. It is estimated that the dam has prevented more than $500 million in flood damages since its construction.
Risk of dam failure
In 1967 a leak was found at the Wolf Creek Dam. Repairs were made in the late seventies at a cost of over $96 million.On January 22, 2007, the United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
began lowering the water level in Lake Cumberland, fearing a break in Wolf Creek Dam. Water seepage has eroded the limestone under the dam, creating the potential for a breach and subsequent flood that would cause damages into the billions of dollars in cities downstream, including Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. The water level, currently at its winter fill level of 690 feet (210 m) altitude, is scheduled to be lowered to a level of 680 feet (207 m) rather than being allowed to fill to its summer fill level of 723 feet (220 m), reducing the lake's summer surface area from 50000 to 35000 acre (202.3 to 141.6 km2). The Corps of Engineers will then attempt to curb the leakage by filling affected areas with grout
Grout
Grout is a construction material used to embed rebars in masonry walls, connect sections of pre-cast concrete, fill voids, and seal joints . Grout is generally composed of a mixture of water, cement, sand, often color tint, and sometimes fine gravel...
while simultaneously filling a portion of the dam with concrete as a more permanent solution.
The drop in water level is expected to have a negative impact on the area's tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
industry as marina
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
s scramble to adjust their facilities for the lower water level. Total cost to tourism-related businesses is expected to exceed $12 million. By June 2007, wildlife officials were already beginning to notice higher-than-normal water temperatures in the river below Wolf Creek Dam, which posed a major threat to the river's brown
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
and rainbow trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
populations.
Power generation
Wolf Creek Dam's six turbines are capable of supplying the needs of an average city (population of 375,000) via 270 megawatts of electricity. The power generating capacity is considered "dead" when the lake's water level is below 673 feet (205 m).Recreation
In 1999, approximately 4.75 million visitors added more than $152.4 million to the local economy. Of the 383 lakes controlled or maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Lake Cumberland ranks 4th in the nation for the number of visitor hours. Over 1,500 houseboatHouseboat
A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a human dwelling. Some houseboats are not motorized, because they are usually moored, kept stationary at a fixed point and often tethered to land to provide utilities...
s float on Lake Cumberland and numerous power boats play in its waters.
Lake Cumberland is home to two Kentucky state parks: Lake Cumberland State Resort Park
Lake Cumberland State Resort Park
Lake Cumberland State Resort Park is a park located on the northern shore of Lake Cumberland near Jamestown, Kentucky in Russell County. The park itself encompasses , while the lake, its major feature, covers approximately .- Attractions :* Lure Lodge...
on its shore and General Burnside State Park
General Burnside State Park
General Burnside State Park is a park located in just south of Somerset, Kentucky in Pulaski County. The park encompasses in the middle of Lake Cumberland, making it Kentucky's only island park. The park is named for General Ambrose E...
on an island in the middle of the lake.
Several of Kentucky's record fish have been taken in the waters of Lake Cumberland, including:
- Brown troutBrown troutThe brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
(21 lb) - Lake troutLake troutLake trout is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, lake char , touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, they can also be variously known as siscowet, paperbellies and leans...
(5 lb 5 oz) - Rainbow troutRainbow troutThe rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
(14 lb 6 oz) - SaugerSaugerThe sauger is a freshwater perciform fish of the family Percidae which resembles its close relative the walleye. They are members of the largest vertebrate order, Perciforms. They are the most migratory percid species in North America. Saugers obtain two dorsal fins, the first is spiny and the...
(7 lb 7 oz) - Striped bassStriped bassThe striped bass is the state fish of Maryland, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and the state saltwater fish of New York, Virginia, and New Hampshire...
(58 lb 4 oz) - SturgeonSturgeonSturgeon is the common name used for some 26 species of fish in the family Acipenseridae, including the genera Acipenser, Huso, Scaphirhynchus and Pseudoscaphirhynchus. The term includes over 20 species commonly referred to as sturgeon and several closely related species that have distinct common...
(36 lb 8 oz) - WalleyeWalleyeWalleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...
(21 lb 8 oz)
Statistics
| January | 48 °F | 9 °C |
| February | 44 °F | 7 °C |
| March | 48 °F | 9 °C |
| April | 55 °F | 13 °C |
| May | 66 °F | 19 °C |
| June | 76 °F | 24 °C |
| July | 82 °F | 28 °C |
| August | 84 °F | 29 °C |
| September | 79 °F | 26 °C |
| October | 70 °F | 21 °C |
| November | 58 °F | 14 °C |
| December | 51 °F | 11 °C |
- The normal summer pool is around 723 feet (220 m) above mean sea level.
- The tree line is about 725 feet (221 m).
- The maximum pool is 760 feet (232 m) at the top of dam floodgates
- The top of Wolf Creek Dam is 773 feet (236 m).
- Lake is considered at "flood control" level from 723 to 760 feet (220 to 232 m).
- Normal power drawdown is between 723 and 673 feet (220 to 205 m).
- At 760 feet (232 m) elevation, the shoreline of Lake Cumberland is 1,255 miles (2,020 km).
- At maximum possible elevation of 760 feet (232 m), Lake Cumberland is considered to be 101 miles (163 km) long, with a total surface area of 65530 acres (265 km²).
- Surface area at 723 feet (220 m) is 50250 acres (203 km²).
- At minimum power pool of 673 feet (205 m), the surface area is 35820 acres (145 km²).
- Average depth of lake at summer pool of 723 feet (220 m) above sea level: 90 feet (27 m)
- Deepest point in lake: original river channel adjacent to Wolf Creek Dam: 200 feet (60 m)
- Depth of river channel upstream of dam to Wolf Creek: generally 160 feet (50 m)
- Depth of river channel upstream of Wolf Creek to one mile (2 km) upstream of Burnside: generally 120 feet (37 m)
The lowest water level recorded (since construction) was 675.10 feet (205.77 m) above mean sea level on January 27, 1981. The highest water level recorded was 751.70 feet (229.12 m) above mean sea level at 2:00AM, May 13, 1984.