Tn. & Cum. River Systems (NOT GOOD)

Y'all might wanta read this E-mail that I just got from our Operation Folks at the Barge Co. Don't look good!

This is a “HEADS-UP” email and more detailed information will be released within the next 10 days.

TVA and Corps personnel just had a teleconference to discuss the developing low water conditions on the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers. After the May 2010 historical record flooding and May 2011 high water event, 2012 has not provided even the minimum rainfall in the TN and Cumberland watersheds to guarantee that Barkley and Kentucky will reach normal summer pool levels (EL 359.0). Lake levels throughout both systems are below normal levels with tributary projects unable to reach their summer reserve storage levels. Weather forecasts over the next several weeks fail to provide any hope of rain systems large enough to relieve the shortage. Add to this the regulated requirements for minimum releases at the dams (most critically Kentucky Dam) that exceed the inflows into the respective lakes and we are presented with a situation where lake levels are going to be difficult if not impossible to maintain at their current levels.

TVA and the Corps are working to develop a plan to maintain the maximum water levels possible. But without significant rainfall events over the next several weeks, this will be a losing battle. Shippers should prepare to see 2012 summer lake levels equal to normal winter pool levels and “averaged” releases from the dams to be close to regulated minimals. As mentioned above, the exact plan of action is being studied and details will be released soon. This is evolving situation and, as always, your patience and cooperation is appreciated.


Ray Bess
Navigation Branch
615-736-7799
"Opera Non Verba"

Low water, low flows and hot weather means fishing is probably going to stink. Doesn't bode well for the spawn success either.

Probably be great for boat repair places. Anybody know a stock tip on a propeller company?

Low flows and low water are a negative for fishermen, but the stable water levels this spring will be a plus for crappie and bass spawns.

I think their excuses are a bunch of smoking mirrors and BS, The Corp is being sued by Nashville, so their knee jerk reaction:Fine we won't put no water in the lakes.

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Originally Posted by mrdux

Doesn't bode well for the spawn success either.

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Why do you say that?

Would be an excellent time to plant some cypress trees in the backs of bays. In 10 years you will have more excellent shallow cover in the form of trunks and knees.

Article about Barkley level.
http://www.westkentuckystar.com/News...ter-Level.aspx

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Originally Posted by wmac62

I think their excuses are a bunch of smoking mirrors and BS, The Corp is being sued by Nashville, so their knee jerk reaction:Fine we won't put no water in the lakes.

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The water does not come from the Corps, it comes from the sky.

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Originally Posted by smashdn

Why do you say that?

Would be an excellent time to plant some cypress trees in the backs of bays. In 10 years you will have more excellent shallow cover in the form of trunks and knees.

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I was referring to THIS years spawn.

The fry need cover to stay away from most predators. Right now there is zero cover around the banks for the fry unless they stack up in blow-downs. Next years spawn might be historic if we get weeds, aquatic grass and woody cover growing along the exposed banks that would normally be covered at summer pool.

Come on down and plant some cypress. KY F&W or some other group tried this back 20 or so years ago and I would say their success rate was well below 25% and I seriously doubt that many of those that survived are helping crappie fishing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wmac62

I think their excuses are a bunch of smoking mirrors and BS, The Corp is being sued by Nashville, so their knee jerk reaction:Fine we won't put no water in the lakes.

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TVA controls the TN river system, not the COE. I'm a river pilot & I can tell ya there isn't any water to run.

Barkley may get a little better as southern and eastern KY is getting good rains this morning and today, so the Cumberland river should be coming up.
Unless TN, AL, and northern Miss get substantial rains the TN river system will continue to see lower than normal water levels, some may never get to summer pools. Even NOAA is predicting non sufficient rains for this are. I would agree and bank on Wiskers experience since he runs that TN river system. KY Lake is tricky and needs respect when boating on it, you can be in 40 ft of water in the channels, get past the channel markers and you can be on a flat that is only 1 to 2 foot deep, full of stumps and waiting to take off a lower unit. So I would respect the channel and secondary channel markers and be extremely cautious if you get out of those areas. Yes lower levels of water is bad for fish spawns since the fry will not have more cover to survive. We all can gripe, either extremely too high water like the past 2 years or given lower levels as now, Mother Nature dictates the rain so we have to deal with what is given too us now.

Have you noticed how all the rivers are already as low as you'll ever see them? We haven't even hit summer yet but it looks like a drought is on. Who can say yea or nea to water being pumped out for crops, etc? Does anyone know if this will hurt fisheries and water supplies long term?

KY/Barkley went thru a drought period, not too long ago ... and the results were clearer water, aquatic grass, & the Black Crappie overtaking the White Crappie in numbers dominance.

Didn't I hear/read somewhere, that they were stocking White Crappie down there ??

One other thought ... Barkley needs more buckbushes !! I look on Google Earth, at all the places I used to fish the bucks ... and there just doesn't seem to be any, or relatively few. Have they been cleared off by landowners, or just no longer growing like they once did ?? Fishing those buckbushes was the prime reason I even went to Ky/Barkley, back when.

... cp :cool:

Here's TVA's take on "why" the lakes are low ..... Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley and Land Between The Lakes News


... cp :cool:

Its not only KY lake either or the TVA. Patoka lake is extremely low. Earlier this year in February it was way above winter pool. The mayor of Jasper and the Dubois County council was worried (and righfully so) about it going over the dam again like last year and causing flooding. So they had a meeting with the Corps about drawing the lake down more aggressively. Too bad we can't control the weather.

Must have rained good in Springfield, TN last night. Creeks were up and brown on my way to work this morning. All teh creeks around here pour into the Red River then into the cumberland at Clarksville.

Hopefully the front that stalled in west TN will dump some water in the Tennessee too.

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Originally Posted by mrdux

Come on down and plant some cypress. KY F&W or some other group tried this back 20 or so years ago and I would say their success rate was well below 25% and I seriously doubt that many of those that survived are helping crappie fishing.

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Wonder why that was? Seems like they would take off down there. Barren has some in the backs of coves and I don't think that they were started intentionally. Atleast that was what I was told by the WMA manager.

Well, what do they look like today?

Barren was 10 foot low. Can't get the level to load this mornign just yet but I bet it is at full pool or will be shortly.

Attachment 91240

I'd think this rain had to help.

Weekend Rainfall Totals Across Tennessee

From NOAA TN rainfall amounts Barkley should come up to pool and KY Lake should also be on the rise, but it would take another rain like this one to really get KY Lake to pool. At this point, everyone in the TN, AL, GA MISS watershed will accept the rains they get and will be welcomed for western KY.
My brother-in-law whom lives in Mayfield, KY said it is really dry there and they only got 2/10th of an inch of rain out of this front.

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Originally Posted by smashdn

Well, what do they look like today?

Barren was 10 foot low. Can't get the level to load this mornign just yet but I bet it is at full pool or will be shortly.

Attachment 91240

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I even had problems getting COE Louisville district to load. Barren came up 1.5 feet to 544.3; summer pool is 552.0 so it is still 7.7 feet below summer pool. but given the rainfall totals from NOAA's site I would be it is still rising.