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Tag: Cumberland River
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  • March

    Wolf Creek Dam in Jamestown, Kentucky, releases water on Feb. 26, 2025 to return to normal pool elevation after water was held back from recent heavy rains to prevent flooding in downstream communities. Wolf Creek Dam at Lake Cumberland is one of six flood control reservoirs, and the largest, managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District along the Cumberland River. (USACE photo by Michael Davis)

    Managing the Cumberland River: How the Corps works to reduce flood risk

    When heavy rain falls across Tennessee and Kentucky, many people wonder: What is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers doing to manage the water? The answer is a complex, coordinated effort involving monitoring, real-time decision-making, and strategic dam operations designed to reduce flood risks along the Cumberland River system. While flood control is one of the Corps’ primary missions, the reality is that nature does not always cooperate. The USACE Nashville District’s highly trained engineers, dam operators, and other water management professionals carefully balance the flow of water through the system—holding back water when possible and releasing it in a controlled manner to minimize damage downstream.

  • February

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District officials inspect Martins Fork Dam in Smith, Kentucky on Feb. 25, 2025 after a recent high water event. The special dam inspection determined that the dam remains in solid condition.

    USACE inspection confirms Martins Fork Dam stability after historic water levels

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District conducted a special dam inspection at Martins Fork Dam on Feb. 25, following a record-setting high water event.

  • January

    Lt. Col. Robert Green (Right), Nashville District commander, presented Army Safety Guardian Awards Jan. 14, 2024, to Lockmaster John Brewington (Left), Lock Operator Danny Holt (Second from Right), Lock and Dam Equipment Mechanic Josh McGlinch during an award ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee. The commander also recognized Deputy Operations Manager Tommy Mason, who could not attend. The employees were recognized for providing aid Aug. 1, 2024, to a lock operator suffering from life-threatening anaphylactic shock from multiple yellowjacket bee stings while working at Old Hickory Lock on the Cumberland River in Old Hickory, Tennessee. (USACE Photo by Noe Gonzalez)

    Employees garner Army Safety Guardian Awards for lifesaving actions

    Nashville, Tenn. (Jan. 22, 2025) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District recently recognized four employees with Army Safety Guardian Awards for providing aid to a lock operator suffering from life-threatening anaphylactic shock from multiple yellowjacket wasp stings while working at Old Hickory Lock on the Cumberland River in Old Hickory, Tennessee.

  • December

    Participants of the 12th Mekong-Mississippi Sister Rivers Partnership Exchange pose together Dec. 10, 2024, at the Kentucky Lock Addition Project on the Tennessee River in Grand River, Kentucky. The Mekong River Commission and Mississippi River Commission met to strengthen international collaboration for sustainable management of water resources. Topics included management of population water resource needs, navigation, hydropower, environmental planning, flood risk management, and natural based solutions. The Sister Rivers Partnership Exchange supports the Mekong-U.S. Partnership (MUSP)

    Mekong and Mississippi River Commissions strengthen Sister Rivers partnership with Nashville District visit

    Delegates from the Mekong River Commission participated in the 12th Sister Rivers Partnership Exchange with the Mississippi River Commission, hosted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pacific Ocean Division, in Tennessee, Kentucky, and New York from Dec. 8–12, 2024. The exchange, part of the broader Mekong-U.S. Partnership, focused on sustainable water resource management, climate adaptation, hydropower, and flood control. Delegates toured critical infrastructure such as the Kentucky Lock and Dam and Nashville’s floodplain preservation efforts, emphasizing global collaboration in addressing complex water management challenges and fostering resilient river ecosystems.

  • August

    Lt. Col. Stephen Green, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District commander; Mayor Steve Babcock of Carthage, Tennessee (Middle); and Congressman John Rose, Tennessee 6th District, pose after Green and Babcock signed a Project Partnership Agreement Aug. 23, 2024, in Carthage, Tennessee. The agreement officially begins a streambank stabilization project on the Cumberland River that will prevent further bank erosion that currently endangers the Carthage Wastewater Treatment Plant. (USACE Photo by Lee Roberts)

    Agreement kicks off streambank project at Carthage Wastewater Treatment Plant

    CARTHAGE, Tenn. (Aug. 23, 2024) – Officials signed a Project Partnership Agreement today to officially begin a streambank stabilization project on the Cumberland River that will prevent further bank erosion that currently endangers the Carthage Wastewater Treatment Plant.
  • Gary and Judi Fleeman pose together during a retirement celebration July 31, 2024, in Lenoir City, Tennessee. They both culminated more than 51 combined years of federal government service supporting navigation missions together on the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District. (USACE Photo by Melissa Kear)

    Officials recognize dynamic couple that spent decades supporting navigation

    LENOIR CITY, Tenn. (Aug. 16, 2024) – Gary and Judi Fleeman recently culminated a combined 51 years supporting navigation missions together on the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District. When they decided to retire together, Corps officials made it a point to thank and duly recognize this dynamic couple for their tremendous impact and many years of service.
  • Members of the Tennessee National Guard visit the Cheatham Powerhouse with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District officials in Ashland City, Tennessee, July 29, 2024. The adjutant general of the TNG, Maj. Gen. Warner Ross II, visited the facility to learn about USACE capabilities and explore current and future partnerships to help the Guard fulfill its missions in Tennessee, which include military readiness and emergency support to civil authorities. (USACE Photo by Jeremy Croft)

    Nashville District hosts Adjutant General for Tennessee at Cheatham Dam

    Do you know the difference between the U.S. Army and the Tennessee Army National Guard? It’s a distinction that’s easy to miss. After all, the two forces wear the same uniform, with “U.S. ARMY” splashed across National Guard blouses. But the differences are important to Maj. Gen. Warner A. Ross II, the 77th Adjutant General for Tennessee, who visited the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District’s Cheatham Lock in Ashland City, Tennessee, July 29, 2024.

  • July

    A welder from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Regional Rivers Repair Fleet welds one of the more than 40 cracks identified in the Old Hickory Lock chamber gates in Hendersonville, Tennessee, July 19, 2024. The water from the lock chamber is pumped out and repairs are made over the course of three weeks to ensure continued operability of the nearly 70-year-old lock. (USACE Photo by Braden Simmons)

    Maintenance professionals drain Old Hickory Lock for inspection, repairs

    OLD HICKORY, Tenn. (July 30, 2024) – Maintenance professionals with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District recently closed Old Hickory Lock to navigation and drained it to check on the condition of components that operate under the surface of the water.

  • November

    Three men standing outside of hydropower plant by electrical wirings.

    Barkley Power Plant charged to safely generate hydroelectricity during rehabilitation

    The team at the Barkley Dam Power Plant is generating hydroelectricity daily to provide green energy to the region but is also working to operate the plant safely while a hydropower unit is dismantled during a multi-year rehabilitation project that will encompass all four units.

  • October

    With Cordell Hull Dam in the background, Rep. John Rose, Tennessee 6th District, gives the keynote address while addressing guests during the dam’s 50th Anniversary celebration Oct. 7, 2023, on the shoreline below the dam in Elmwood, Tennessee. He noted that celebrating the achievements of the engineers and the contractors, and public policy makers of the time, made this project possible. (USACE Photo by Lee Roberts)

    Communities celebrate Cordell Hull Dam’s 50th Anniversary

    ELMWOOD, Tenn. (Oct. 10, 2023) – Local communities, residents and officials celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Cordell Hull Dam Oct. 7 by paying tribute to residents that were displaced, featuring historical aspects of the dam’s construction, and noting the benefits that were realized for future generations when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers impounded the lake.