Lake Update for 2015 - FACT SHEET (As of January 2015)

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Wolf Creek Dam Safety Rehabilitation Project

FACT SHEET (As of January 2015)


Wolf Creek Dam Safety Rehabilitation Project

US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS BUILDING STRONG®



AUTHORIZATION: Flood Control Act of 1938 (P.L. 75-761), River and Harbor Act of 1946 (P.L. 79-526)

TYPE OF PROJECT: Dam Safety – Major Rehabilitation



LOCATION: Wolf Creek Dam is located at mile 460.9 on the Cumberland River in south central Kentucky near Jamestown, Kentucky.



CONGRESSIONAL INTEREST: Rogers, (KY-05), Whitfield, (KY-01), McConnell, (KY), Paul, (KY)



NON-FEDERAL SPONSOR: Hydropower Users thru SEPA



BACKGROUND:

· Wolf Creek Dam impounds Lake Cumberland, the largest storage reservoir of the Corps of Engineers east of the Mississippi River. It provides flood damage reduction, hydropower, recreation, navigation, water supply, and water quality benefits for the Cumberland River system and surrounding region. The project was designed and constructed from 1938 to1952. The dam is a rolled earth-fill and concrete gravity structure that is 5,736 feet long.

· Chronic seepage problems originating from 1940’s foundation construction methods are worsening and currently threaten the stability of the dam. Lake water moving through the openings in the rock beneath the earthen dam threatens to erode these structures. Primarily due to this threat, Wolf Creek Dam is designated in the Corps’ Dam Safety Action Classification of I, the highest priority for remediation

· The Nashville District obtained Washington level approval in 2005 to begin a major rehabilitation of the foundation. The remediation plan consists of constructing a concrete diaphragm cutoff wall 275 feet deep immediately upstream of the concrete portion of the dam and extending 4,200 feet along the embankment to the right abutment.

· The $400M cutoff wall contract was awarded in 2008. The main focus of the project, the embankment barrier wall was completed in March 2013. An interim raise of Lake Cumberland was initiated and completed this spring/summer.

· The total estimated cost of the rehabilitation plan is $594 million. The project is funded through annual appropriations from Congress.



IMPORTANCE: If left untreated, seepage could threaten the stability of the earthen portions of the dam. Catastrophic failure of Wolf Creek Dam would result in loss of life and massive destruction of property at major population centers, particularly at Nashville, Tennessee, and at five other Corps projects downstream of Wolf Creek Dam. Other impacts would include loss of the Lake Cumberland recreation industry, flood damage reduction capabilities, hydropower production, and water supply. Estimates of flood damage alone exceed $3 billion.



STATUS: Cutoff Wall construction is complete. Review of the Post Implementation Risk Evaluation will be completed in the spring of 2015 with the expectation of returning to historical operation of the reservoir. A construction contract for Site Stabilization was awarded in Sep 2014 and includes repairs to the downstream embankment to improve surface water drainage and re-vegetation of the disposal area. Scheduled completion date is Mar 2015. Plans and specifications are being prepared for a Road Restoration Contract scheduled for award in May 2015. Construction activities will include re-surfacing of project roadways, installing guardrails and gates, and repairing the old Halcomb’s Landing boat ramp and parking area. In addition, plans are being developed to improve three coal mine spoil sites in the Big South Fork area as part of the Endangered Species Act compliance efforts for the duskytail darter.



BUDGET ($): Estimated project costs are shown below.





Total Estimated Cost

$593,711,0001


Federal Cost Estimate

266,499,000


Non-Federal Cost Estimate

327,212,000







Federal Funds Data




Allocation thru FY 2013

$593,711,000


Allocation for FY 2014

0


Balance to Complete

0


President’s Budget for FY 2015

0


1The project is federally funded upfront. Cost sharing reimbursement after construction

is in accordance with the percent of the pool allocated for each specific purpose.



SCHEDULE:

FY 2014 Completed Work: Cutoff wall completed; Site Stabilization Contract awarded

FY 2015 Scheduled Work: Complete Site Stabilization construction; Initiate Road Restoration construction; Initiate Endangered Species Act Compliance actions

COMPLETION: Construction work is expected to be completed in FY2016. Monitoring and sampling will continue until FY 2021.




For more information regarding the Wolf Creek Dam Safety project, contact David Hendrix, CELRN-PM, phone: (615) 736-7841, email: john.d.hendrix@usace.army.mil