Lake Cumberland

[A.J.]

Top of the floodgates are 760. Couldn’t imagine seeing the water only 10ft from the top of the gates.

[Rude196]

Here is what I found on historical water levels...

751.70 May 13, 1984 – Recorded at 2 a.m.
747.12 April 15, 1962 – Recorded at 4 p.m.

Most up to date I could find...

2/21/2019 2 PM CST 746.65

They're calling for 2.5" of rain in the 48 hour window of Fri/Sat so it will get close to the record high or break it if we get that much rain. Right now the ground is so saturated just a small amount will make the lake rise more than normal. I know the rain we got earlier this week made Cumberland rise 2.49 feet in a 24 hour period.

Is there a source for the outflow vs intake data? The TVs has to have some type of idea on how much they can hold vs release. I understand about downstream issues and I’m sure it is a delicate balancing act at this stage.

[cbp84]

Is there a source for the outflow vs intake data? The TVs has to have some type of idea on how much they can hold vs release. I understand about downstream issues and I’m sure it is a delicate balancing act at this stage.

No, no real way to measure intake.

[Les Young]

747.45 it’s getting bad. I witnessed the flood in the 80s first hand since I grew up there & was working in the corps parks . The water was in the parking lot at Cumberland Point where I grew up at if that gives anybody an idea of how unbelievably high it was. The corps took us by barge to Waitsboro to do some emergency work that needed done.

[bassnpro1]

747.81. Looking like it might break the all time record in the next few days. The Corps put up a flood wall downstream to protect a road so they could increase the outflow rate without flooding the road. Pretty crazy. It is going to take a really long time to get that huge lake back to summer pool. They can only let out 28,000cfs without flooding the road. By comparison, Kentucky lake is currently spilling 264,850cfs and they are predicted to increase that. Cumberland can't let out that kind of volume to drop the lake within a reasonable timeline

[Les Young]

747.84 now. Gene i’d say it will reach it’s highest ever this weekend too. Just below the lake is getting heavy rain now including barbourville which is on the Cumberland River

[Rick2018]

Unbelievable. Assuming we have normal weather for the next couple of months, how long would it take to get to summer pool (which is around 725 I think)?

[dstep0]

747.81. Looking like it might break the all time record in the next few days. The Corps put up a flood wall downstream to protect a road so they could increase the outflow rate without flooding the road. Pretty crazy. It is going to take a really long time to get that huge lake back to summer pool. They can only let out 28,000cfs without flooding the road. By comparison, Kentucky lake is currently spilling 264,850cfs and they are predicted to increase that. Cumberland can't let out that kind of volume to drop the lake within a reasonable timeline

Why on earth would a road be placed in such a place that restricts outflow? That's baffling. Surprised the road hasn't been rerouted to ensure they can use the dam for what it was built for.

[A.J.]

749.83. Getting close.

[JR19]

As I type this the radar shows heavy rain right over the top of the lake. I can't get the website to load that shows the hourly water level but if my memory is correct it was a little over 750 something Saturday afternoon. With the record being 751.70 and current conditions the question will not be if the record is broken but how high will the record level reach. At 760 water goes over the top of the floodgates and from what I just read they are doing what they can to avoid that. The past record release discharge is 45,000 CFS. On Saturday they tied the record because they open the discharge to 45,000 cfs. People downstream have been warned that come Sunday they will discharge at a rate of 60,000 cfs by noon Sunday 2/24. In order to discharge at that rate they had to shut off outflow on Dale Hollow so it won't be long before it hits a very high level. Dale is something like 6 ft over summer pool if my memory is correct so holding Dale for a few days might buy them some time with Cumberland if they open it up to a record discharge rate.

[cbp84]

As I type this the radar shows heavy rain right over the top of the lake. I can't get the website to load that shows the hourly water level but if my memory is correct it was a little over 750 something Saturday afternoon. With the record being 751.70 and current conditions the question will not be if the record is broken but how high will the record level reach. At 760 water goes over the top of the floodgates and from what I just read they are doing what they can to avoid that. The past record release discharge is 45,000 CFS. On Saturday they tied the record because they open the discharge to 45,000 cfs. People downstream have been warned that come Sunday they will discharge at a rate of 60,000 cfs by noon Sunday 2/24. In order to discharge at that rate they had to shut off outflow on Dale Hollow so it won't be long before it hits a very high level. Dale is something like 6 ft over summer pool if my memory is correct so holding Dale for a few days might buy them some time with Cumberland if they open it up to a record discharge rate.

Dale is 658.51 with a maximum flood control pool is 663 it is in worse shape than cumberland.

[Altro Cat]

Why on earth would a road be placed in such a place that restricts outflow? That's baffling. Surprised the road hasn't been rerouted to ensure they can use the dam for what it was built for.

Just a guess but could the road have been there before the lake was impounded?

[Rude196]

Just a guess but could the road have been there before the lake was impounded?

A road to nowhere compared to the grand scheme of things though. Also a very ignorant strategy if that is true.

[Rude196]

No, no real way to measure intake.

Not buying that as streamflow data is available in more places than reservoir levels. Always have been

[cbp84]

Not buying that as streamflow data is available in more places than reservoir levels. Always have been

So what is it then? I'd be curious as well.

[Rude196]

So what is it then? I'd be curious as well.

Well somebody has it. Clearly not the operators at Wolf Creek. Just thought maybe JR or someone could find the data. Surely we are not going on gut feelings by now, hopefully not even when the dams were engineered. You would think intake levels would have to be calculated first.

[Rude196]

As I figured with TVA website being down, the record has been broken.

[cbp84]

[robdy72]

They have started evacuating certain areas in Clay county and Jackson county in Tennessee that's in the flood zone because they are opening the dam at record levels.

[Mike198P]

Lake level is 752.14 as of 5 am.