Rain/Water Levels?

[jaystaler88]

How's all this rain been affecting the fishing for you guys? Any reports on local lakes/rivers water level or color? Looking to get out this weekend, and wasn't sure how having such a long drought followed by a week of T-Storms was going to change things...

[StriperFan]

Went to a local creek yesterday and was wondering the same thing, but the water was still in good condition and fish were biting. I would say the lakes are in good condition as well, and the fish will continue to be active.

rain is a good thing definitely think the fish will be biting good

[Fishmanjoe]

I was out on Priest near Jefferson Springs and the water was slightly muddy, nothing crazy at that point. I am hoping they let the water rise and don't run any through the dam.

[fisher01]

The Corp. of Engineers has not released any water at the dam for several months now. The water level is down due to lack of significant rain. The rain we had this week so far has not had much affect on Priest's level. We need a lot more is see it start to rise.

[Fishmanjoe]

Originally Posted by fisher01

The Corp. of Engineers has not released any water at the dam for several months now. The water level is down due to lack of significant rain. The rain we had this week so far has not had much affect on Priest's level. We need a lot more is see it start to rise.

I would think it would have more effect as they are able to raise the water level significantly in the spring with around the same amount of rain. I guess the ground is soaking it all up and not letting much get to the river.

I am still under the impression that they kept it low longer to avoid the flooding situations of the last 2 years. I think they were counting on rain coming later in the spring(May) that never came.

[fisher01]

Here is some of the information I received from the Corp. of Engineers and TVA over the past few years. According to them, Percy Priest primary function is to help with flood control for the Cumberland River system. The dams on the Cumberland (Old Hickory, Cheatham, etc.) receive priority in terms of water releases to maintain and help prevent flooding downstream throughout several states as the water makes it way to the Mississippi. Thus, water at these dams is released first as they are located on the primary waterway. When you look at the release schedules of these dams during periods of rain, these reservoirs are always lowered first. Percy Priest was designed and developed as a secondary reservoir to help prevent water from this area feeding into the Cumberland. Its primary function is to hold back the water from entering the Cumberland. When we went through the spring floods over the previous 2 years, they did not release water from Priest until water levels on the Cumberland were manageable. The data and charts show Priest was allowed to rise over 505+ during these times.

When you look at the data and charts for this year, you'll see there has been no significant water releases on Percy Priest since the end of March.

http://www.orn.usace.army.mil/hh/resplots/jpp_a.html

The chart will show at the end of March, the water level was right where it was supposed to be and you'll notice they also stopped the water releases. They have not intentional kept Priest lower this year, as its primary function is to hold back water during rains and not release it to the Cumberland. The water level is down due to the amount of rainfall entering the system. All the data available from water release schedules and lake level charts support this.

[Travis C.]

Good info fisher, all the lakes are behind this year on water. Hopefully Center Hill will get plenty up stream because at the rate it's falling with just the minimal generation to keep the tailwater cool it could run out of water by September. When I say "run out" its not the lake will be dry but the lake level will be below the intake level for generation to occur which is 618ft and its at 625ft falling still today. Once that happens it will be impossible to control the tailwater temps with a fish kill on the horizon.

Of course that is worst case but here it is mid July and the rain we have got isn't helping it.

[Alphahawk]

Originally Posted by Travis C.

Good info fisher, all the lakes are behind this year on water. Hopefully Center Hill will get plenty up stream because at the rate it's falling with just the minimal generation to keep the tailwater cool it could run out of water by September. When I say "run out" its not the lake will be dry but the lake level will be below the intake level for generation to occur which is 618ft and its at 625ft falling still today. Once that happens it will be impossible to control the tailwater temps with a fish kill on the horizon.

Of course that is worst case but here it is mid July and the rain we have got isn't helping it.

Will be interesting to see if the TWRA does what they have done in the past....increase fish limits and decrease the size regs to allow more fish to be harvested. I don't harvest any trout...just don't like to eat them...but a lot do. In my conversations with TWRA biologist and from the releases the Corp has put out a huge fish kill seems eminent on the Caney. There is nothing really to stop it. The rain will certainly help with water...but the problem is "cold water". That was the discussions I had with the TWRA biologist. He informed me they will run out of cold water. I hope it doesn't happen but only time will tell.


Regards

[Fishmanjoe]

In 2010 they started allowing the water to rise 03/15. This year they continued generating until April. It would be interesting to see if there was a way to obtain the charts you provide for years prior to 2010.

I could see them revising the procedures due to the 2010 flood. I am also thinking they may keep some of that data close to the vest.

http://percypriest.uslakes.info/Level.asp

[bd-]

Originally Posted by Alphahawk

The rain will certainly help with water...but the problem is "cold water". That was the discussions I had with the TWRA biologist. He informed me they will run out of cold water. I hope it doesn't happen but only time will tell.

At the rate we are going, the most likely problem will be that we will run out of water that can be discharged through the generators.

The water coming through the turbine intake is still plenty cold. The intake is roughly 70 to 80 feet below the surface, and that is still well below the thermocline. When the Corps generates, the water coming through is still in the low 50s.

The problem is that it heats up significantly when the generation stops. As long as they keep water flowing through, it stays cool, but some fool at the Corps changed their schedules up and let about a day go by at low water on July 16, and the lower river at Gordonsville got all the way up to about 74 degrees. That's getting into a lethal range for trout, so I wouldn't bother trout fishing below Betty's Island anymore until we get cooler weather. It could have been completely avoided if they had stuck to their schedule of a pulse in the morning and a pulse in the evening, but apparently that was too complicated.

Overall, the lake level is at 625.8. It is holding steady at the moment from the rain but it will start slowly falling again in a day or two. If it gets down to 618, they can't generate any more, and the river will get warm and the trout will die.

It's going to be touch and go on whether we have enough water in the lake to keep it above 618 into the fall when it will get cool enough for the river to stay at a liveable temp for trout. At the current rate, we should last until early September, which may or may not be enough. Of course, the Corps could decide to generate all day at any moment and throw things off completely.

bd