Dams!

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An article in today's Harrison (Ark) Daily Times.

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Newport impacts dam releases

By DAVID HOLSTED

Times Staff davidh@harrisondaily.com

Published: Tuesday, April 21, 2009 11:58 AM

POINT LOOKOUT, MO. — As far as John Kielczewski is concerned, whatever happened during the great flood of 2008 is water over the dams.

Kielczewski, the White River system engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Little Rock District, was at the College of the Ozarks on Friday to present what he called “Water Management 101.” Along with other members of the Little Rock office, he informed the public about how the Corps controls the flow of water along the White River and how the 2008 flood impacted those efforts.

John Kielczewski, White River system engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Little Rock District, talks about the impact the 2008 flood had on the system’s series of dams. Kielczewski’s presentation was part of a program given by the Corps of Engineers at College of the Ozarks on April 17.

The 2008 flood, which Kielczewski said was the worst he has seen in his 20-plus years on the job, made everyone more aware of the Corps’ dams along the White Rivr. To emphasize that point, he asked the audience the number of gates that were opened on the Table Rock Dam during the height of the flood. Upon hearing several replies of “10,” Kielczewski nodded.

“In 2007, you probably wouldn’t have known how many gates there were on Table Rock Dam,” he said, “but in 2008, conditions changed.”

When it came to controlling flood waters, Kielczewski went on, it wasn’t as simple as just opening gates on the dam and letting the rising water go on through.

The dams along the White River system all work in conjunction with one another. Beaver Dam at the western end of the system operates in accordance to what is happening at Table Rock Dam, whose level depends on the conditions at Bull Shoals and Norfork dams. Those in turn are influenced by the conditions at the control point at Newport further downstream.

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“Each lake is not operated independently,” Kielczewski said. “The further away from the dam, the less control you have as you go downstream.”

According to Kielczewski, the White River basin contains more than 19,800 square miles in northern Arkansas and southern Missouri. Of that area, only about 44 percent is what the Corps of Engineers refer to as “controlled.” The uncontrolled areas include such undammed rivers as the Buffalo, which can also influence water levels on the system.

By the beginning of March 2008, all lakes on the White River were at normal levels with plenty of flood storage available, Kielczewski said. However, by April, Table Rock and Beaver lakes were filled, but because of rising water at Newport, the Corps was unable to release water from those dams. Flood stage at Newport reached 26 feet.

Table Rock Lake did not get back to normal conservation level until late October, while Bull Shoals didn’t get there until December. Kielczewski said that at Table Rock Dam, about 48,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) was being released during the flood. However, the lake was seeing about 200,000 cfs coming in.

It is Kielczewski’s responsibility to monitor the lakes’ levels and to order when and how many gateways to be opened to maintain a consistent water level. It took five years, he said, to come up with a consensus plan for the White River system.

“It’s a complicated system trying to meet the needs of the various people, such as the upstream marinas, the fisheries, the farmers,” Kielczewksi said.

He explained that the Corps of Engineers considers a lake to have several layers. The biggest layer is the conservation pool, from which water for hydroelectric power and water for human consumption are drawn. Just above that layer is the flood control pool, which provides temporary storage in times of flooding. Kielczewski said the conservation pool at Table Rock Lake is 915 feet, while the flood control pool is 931 feet.

According to Kielczewski, people often mistakenly want to lower lakes below the conservation pool mark in anticipation of spring rains. However, in actuality, that would take away from the supply that is used for hydro-electric power and municipal water supplies. If the spring flooding doesn’t materialize and the lakes aren’t replenished, by July and August, when it doesn’t rain, the levels aren’t sufficient for the extra power demands and you go home after work and want to turn on the air conditioner, Kielczewski said.

“We’re not being good stewards of the water supply,” he said.

Because of the flood of 2008, people are more aware now of the potential for water release at the dams along the White River.

“People need to know where they’re living,” Kielczewski said. “Lake Taneycomo is a beautiful area, but they need to know they’re living below a dam.”