FLOOD: Decision to Release Water at Old Hickory Dam Helps Rutherford County

May 5, 2010

The decision to release water from Old Hickory Dam this past Sunday prevented an additional four feet in flood waters from reaching downtown Nashville, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced. According to past news stories, the release of water on Old Hickory Lake soon after the flooding started, helped to allow for a release of water from Percy Priest Lake. As many realize, water from Percy Priest Lake eventually flows into the Cumberland River, which is the same river that allows for Old Hickory Lake. By releasing more water into the Cumberland River from Old Hickory during the storm this past weekend, it allowed for water tables to lower in a more timely manner, thus allowing for more water from Percy Priest to be dumped into the Cumberland. The quick work by the Corps evidently paid off as water levels in the Stones River have since gone down.

The Army Corps of Engineers said in a press release, “Without the dams and lakes, all that water would be in the river right now, on top of what we’re already seeing.” The Nashville District continues to balance releases from dams along the Cumberland River and its tributaries to minimize downstream flooding while ensuring lakes remain at a safe level.

The Corps Was Within 7” of Loosing Control:

Water behind the Old Hickory Lake dam reached a record elevation of 451.4’ on Sunday afternoon, just seven inches short of the Corps losing control of the project due to the lake overtopping the dam. Lt. Col. Anthony Mitchell, Commander of the Nashville District stated, “If we had allowed the lake go to 452 and overtop Old Hickory Dam, the loss of that dam would have added another four feet to the flood levels in downtown Nashville.”

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