The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has drafted a letter to media outlets to clarify reports coming out of a meeting in Russell Springs Wednesday with Gov. Ernie Fletcher and his staff that gave 11 communities a December 31 deadline to prepare water intakes for a level of 650 feet above sea level.
A Corps spokesman emphasized “because we told communities to be prepared does not mean we’re going to lower the lake.” The Corps spokesman said he was referring to a report in a metropolitan newspaper and had not read the Commonwealth Journal story yesterday about the Russell Springs meeting.
A Commonwealth Journal editor insisted that he read the story from the newspaper’s Web site. “If it is wrong, inaccurate or unfair, we’ll correct it,” the editor promised.
“It appears to be fair,” he commented.
Following is the text of the Corps’ letter:
NASHVILLE (February 15, 2007) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is not lowering Lake Cumberland an additional 30 feet to Elevation 650 feet as has been reported by the media in the last 24 hours.
The commander of the Nashville District, Lt. Col. Steven J. Roemhildt, sent a letter, dated 9 Feb. 2007, to eleven water supply users requesting them to lower their water intakes to elevation 650. An excerpt of that letter states:
“Based on conditions at the project, a possibility always exists that we may lower the pool even more. Because of this real possibility, you need to take necessary measures to allow for water intake with the lake at Elevation 650 feet NGVD29. We recommend that these measures be in place no later than 31 December 2007.”
(NGVD29 is National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929, which the vertical datum reference used by the Corps of Engineers. “Elevation 650 feet above sea level” is another way of saying this.)
The recommendation to water supply users is based on contingency planning by the Corps of Engineers in the event that further lake level reductions are necessary.
The decision to lower Lake Cumberland to Elevation 680 feet and continue that lake level through the end of 2007 has not changed. If conditions changed at Wolf Creek Dam such as a sinkhole or an abnormal reading of instruments in the dam, the Corps of Engineers would further lower lake elevation to reduce risk. Currently no such condition exists and there are no plans to lower Lake Cumberland below Elevation 680.
The Corps of Engineers has started an expedited grouting program, where lean concrete is being pumped into the foundation of the dam at critical locations. The Corps of Engineers plans to complete this program around the September – October 2007 period. During the Fall of this year, the Corps of Engineers will make a decision on the elevation of Lake Cumberland for 2008. The elevation for 2008 may remain at 680, may be raised or may be lowered. The Corps of Engineers will base this decision upon the results of the grouting program and the conditions of Wolf Creek Dam at that time.
The Corps of Engineers constantly monitors Wolf Creek Dam and continually evaluates the appropriate lake level based on conditions at the dam and will adjust lake levels as necessary to operate the lake and to reduce risk.
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Related Photos
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This photograph of the ramp at General Burnside Island was taken last week. The Army Corps of Engineers said yesterday that Lake Cumberland will not be dropped to 650 feet.
February 16, 2007
Doing The Back Stroke
Corps now insists Lake Cumberland will not be lowered to 650 feet
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Pulaski carries Girdler to win
In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, it was impossible to miss the colorful signs dotting nearly every Pulaski roadway. The names in the race for the 15th State Senatorial District seat popped out: A.C. Donahue. Chris Girdler. Mark Polston.Once citizens hit the ballots, however, the results mirrored the dimensions of the signs themselves: Chris Girdler stood the tallest.Girdler, deputy district director for Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, ran away with the votes inside Pulaski County’s borders, earning 3,926 votes for 62.05 percent of the total number cast.That number more than doubled the next highest vote-getter, businessman Mark Polston, who raked in 1,624 votes for 25.67 percent.However, Polston — who owns Classic Carpet, a home-flooring business located just off the southern 914 bypass — can claim a moral victory ... three of them, in fact. In all three counties in the district other than Pulaski — those being Adair, Casey, and Russell Counties — Polston actually edged out Girdler.In Adair, Polston beat Girdler 629 to 394. In Casey County, it was 538 to 417, and in Russell, it was 1,862 to 1,038.Polston said he just “couldn’t pull it out with the numbers” and that “the machine worked for” Girdler in Pulaski County.“I think that was their strategy — I think they had a Pulaski County strategy all along,” said Polston. “They played the political game well.”Polston said the difference between his and Girdler’s campaigns was that “mine was a very, very grass roots campaign,” he said. “I did not have a political machine behind me. I understand how this process works, and in this instance, he prevailed.”As for why Girdler didn’t take three of four counties, the winning candidate — since there are no Democrats in the race, winning the Republican primary was effectively a final victory for Girdler — said he didn’t have an answer for that.However, “I believe things happen for a reason and I hope the long and strenuous campaign will only heighten my desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past,” said Girdler.“Regionalism is a goal of mine, and I look forward to helping all four counties,” he added, noting that he campaigned heavily in each of them.Sen. Vernie McGaha, the long-time state senator whose seat the candidates were vying for, actually supported Polston after Liberty’s Todd Hoskins dropped out of the race earlier this month.Donahue, a local attorney, got 556 votes in Pulaski County, 8.79 percent of the vote. He only received 145 votes in Russell County, 74 in Adair County, and 75 in Casey County, where hometown candidate Hoskins almost matched him with 71 votes despite no longer being officially in the race.Polston said he’s “still digesting” what happened, and though “the process has been a very good experience for me,” he wouldn’t commit to running again in the future. “I wouldn’t shut the door to anything, but I’m not opening any doors either.”Still, “I think I got a lot of people involved in the process that had not been involved before and would not have been otherwise,” he said. “A lot of people got out and worked really hard, got motivated to talk to friends and neighbors. I think a lot of people became involved through this campaign that are going to be involved for a long time.”Girdler stressed his “positive message” and said that Rogers is a “mentor and good friend” that he would turn to for advice in dealing with a frequently combative legislative body in Frankfort, one for which Girdler hopes to help change the culture.Girdler said that he was “confident and optimistic” during the day Tuesday because he’d “worked extremely hard.” Nevertheless, the realization that he’d won gave him “chill bumps,” he said.“I’m absolutely honored,” said Girdler. “The position of state senator is more than an honor, more than an office. It’s a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.“I pledge to be the people’s state senator,” he added. “I look forward to working with everyone to move this region forward.” - Local Democrats diss Obama
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