Friends of Lake Cumberland –

 

The KY Department of Tourism has started running a new radio ad promoting the Lake Cumberland area during radio broadcasts of University of Kentucky and University of Louisville basketball games. It began airing last night.

 

An mp3 of the commercial is below. If your spam filter blocks it, if it is too big for your e-mail to accept it or if you have technical difficulty opening it, you can go to www.commerce.ky.gov and look for the link on the right hand side of the page under the column “What’s New in’07” and look where it says Lake Cumberland and click on the mp3 icon right below that.

 

 

From an article in the Tennessean on 2/14/07

"The purpose (of the meeting) is to communicate the problem where two fundamental questions arise," said Corps Engineer Mike Zoccola. "Am I safe and is the dam safe?"
“ I can tell you the dam is safer today than it was yesterday."

 

(A link to the complete article is at the end of this newsletter.)

The water reduction level has stopped. The Lake has settled at 680.70. ________________________________________________________________

According to the Corps’ website:

The following are Corps operated and Commercial Marina boat ramps that we believe will be usable at elevation 680 (* these ramps will be monitored closely; conditions are subject to change as the elevation lowers):

	Burnside Island State Park (one lane concrete to gravel, small boats only)
	Cave Creek (approx. 15' of concrete left, then mud)
	Conley Bottom Marina (campground ramp, boats less 20'approx.)
	Halcomb's Landing (small boats less 20'approx.)
	Jamestown Marina
	Lee's Ford Marina (launch time may be limited due to on-going construction)
	Waitsboro (small boats less 20'approx.)

 

ITEMS OF INTEREST

 

http://lakecumberland.com/

 

Army Corps of Engineers Lake Cumberland/Wolf Creek Dam web page. http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/pao/issues/WOLcommo/

 

If you want to monitor the level here is the website: http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/hh/resplots/wol_a.html

 

The Corps’ Manager's office home page:

http://www.orn.usace.army.mil/pao/lakeinfo/WOL.htm

 

On the Net: Corps Nashville District:

 

DEVELOPMENTS

 

Corps of Engineers Public Meeting Schedule

Details on Kentucky Meeting about Wolf Creek Dam

 

 

NEWS ARTICLES

 

http://www.rctimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070214/MICRO060301/302140007/1316/MTCN0301

 

Wolf Creek meeting draws 2000 people

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Title: Bid for ramp extensions to be opened next week
Date: 02/14/2007
Source: Commonwealth Journal
Writer: BILL MARDIS
Lead:

Bids will be received and opened Tuesday to extend 10 landlocked boat ramps into the low water of Lake Cumberland.

Article:

Bids will be received and opened Tuesday to extend 10 landlocked boat ramps into the low water of Lake Cumberland.

Craig Shoe, resource manager for the lake, said 16 contractors attended a meeting yesterday with Corps officials to discuss extending the ramps. The contractors received specifications on which the bids will be based, he indicated.

“There was a tremendous amount of interest,” said Shoe. The bids will be evaluated after the proposals are opened Tuesday and “ ... we hope to be letting contracts really soon,” he remarked.

Shoe said last week that potential bidders have been told that “... if you can’t go to work soon, don’t bid.”

Bids are being received on only the 10 ramps that the Corps is authorized to extend. These include marinas and Corps-operated ramps.

Shoe said he doesn’t want to mention specific ramps involved in the project “ ... because we might not be able to do all of them.” He said as soon as contracts are awarded the individual ramps will be made public.

The ramps are out of the water because Lake Cumberland has been lowered 43 feet below the tree line to relieve pressure on Wolf Creek Dam. The giant structure that impounds Lake Cumberland is leaking and has been classified as a “high risk” of failure.

Ramps that the Corps is trying to improve do not include state, county or private boat-launching areas. Pulaski Fiscal Court moved yesterday to extend county-operated ramps and state government has pledged assistance to extend state-operated facilities.

Title: Court wants to help extend boat ramps
Date: 02/14/2007
Source: Commonwealth Journal
Writer: SUSAN WHEELDON
Lead:

Mike Strunk, 5th District magistrate, said yesterday Pulaski Fiscal Court should help in extending boat ramps in the wake of the Wolf Creek Dam crisis.

Article:

Mike Strunk, 5th District magistrate, said yesterday Pulaski Fiscal Court should help in extending boat ramps in the wake of the Wolf Creek Dam crisis.

In the end, the governing body approved helping to extend Waitsboro Crossing ramp and researching the rest of the ramps to see what can be done to help people continue to be able to come to Lake Cumberland.

Many ramps on Lake Cumberland are going to need to be extended because the ramps no longer reach the water and boats can’t get into the water.

The ramps are out of the water because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decided about a month ago that the lake would need to be lowered to 680 feet above sea level for the remainder of this year because of problems at Wolf Creek Dam. Water is seeping through and beneath the dam and the structure has been classified as at a “high risk” of failure.

Strunk went as far as making a motion to extend boat ramps and said that he thought Arlene Young, who is the county treasurer, should borrow the money or whatever needs to be done to take care of the situation.

The motion, however, didn’t go any further.

County Judge-executive Barty Bullock told Strunk and the other magistrates that the county is currently working with the state trying to get some grant money.

“I don’t think we can wait until May ...,” said Strunk. “The lake brings in a lot of money and we can’t afford to lose it.”

First District Magistrate Kenny Isaacs added that he thought Tommy Turner was working on getting some funding, but he didn’t know when that would be available.

“I don’t think we can wait that long,” said Strunk. “I think its a must (to get the ramps extended).”

Meanwhile, 3rd District Magistrate Tommy Barnett said it was his understanding that some ramps would not be usable. Isaacs agreed, saying that places such as Fishing Creek would not be usable even if the ramps were extended.

Strunk then asked if they could help extend the dock at Waitsboro Crossing/Old Waitsboro ramp. Volunteers are ready to start the work on the ramp if they have concrete.

However, 4th District Magistrate Glenn Maxey questioned what problems they could get into if they fix one ramp and not others.

County Clerk Ralph Troxtell, who was a magistrate on the fiscal court for 16 years, said that in his opinion, he would look at whether there were people who were volunteering or ready to perform the labor involved.

The court then approved unanimously giving the Waitsboro Crossing ramp, located behind Picasso’s Restaurant, 40 yards of concrete, so the dock can be extended and usable.

Waitsboro Crossing is one of 13 ramps the county currently owns, along with the Burton Subdivision ramp, Doodletown ramp, Hails Haven Access ramp, Keno ramp, Piney Woods access ramp, Rocky Point Subdivision ramp, Spring Water Subdivision ramp, Three Springs Subdivision ramp, Hemlock Landing ramp, Cave Creek ramp, Echo Point ramp and Omega Park ramp.

While the county will be seeing what they can do for the county ramps, officials also said that that will not be all that they will do, as they will try and help out all the ramps that they possibly can.

Bullock also added that by the next court meeting, they would try and research the rest of the ramps and see what they would be able to do.