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Controlled releasing of water from Old Hickory Dam prevented further flooding in Nashville
Release 10-29 NASHVILLE, TENN. — The decision to release water from Old Hickory Dam this weekend prevented an additional four feet in flood waters from reaching downtown Nashville, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced. Water behind the dam in Old Hickory Lake 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. “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,” explained Lt. Col. Anthony Mitchell, Commander of the Nashville District. “By making the decision to release water from Old Hickory Dam, our water managers saved the dam and prevented flood waters from reaching even higher,” he added. Corps engineers are collecting and studying data to verify exactly how much flooding Corps dams actually prevented. Current data shows that Corps reservoirs have prevented more than a million cubic feet per second in water from reaching the Cumberland River over the weekend. “That water has been held in storage in our lakes,” explained Bob Sneed, Chief of Water Management for the Nashville District, “and we are able to release it slowly as the river recedes. “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.
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