Corps holding barrier wall completion ceremony April 19 at Wolf Creek Dam

Celebrating a dam rehabilitation: At long last the Wolf Creek Dam barrier wall is complete. The U.S. Army Corps Nashville District announced this week a completion ceremony to celebrate this important milestone is set 10 a.m. April 19 on the dam’s work platform. The event is free to the public. (Video by Lee Roberts)

By Lee Roberts

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 10, 2013) – It’s taken more than five years to build an underground concrete barrier wall to protect Wolf Creek Dam from seepage through its foundation, but U.S. Army Corps Nashville District officials announced today the project is finished and they are hosting a ceremony 10 a.m. April 19 on the work platform to mark its completion.

Wolf Creek Dam impounds Lake Cumberland, the largest reservoir east of the Mississippi River. The completion of this dam safety construction project and raising the lake level will likely enhance visitation and returning operations to normal will also benefit hydropower, water supply, water quality, flood risk reduction, and recreation, said Don Getty, project manager for the Corps.

The Corps drilled 50-inch cylindrical holes and placed concrete in them to form individual piles ranging from 108 to 276 feet deep. Each pile overlaps the next forming a continuous underground wall the full length of the dam embankment. There are a total of 1,197 piles that form the 3,794-foot long barrier wall.

This is the event map that shows the parking area at Halcomb's Landing and the ceremony location on the Wolf Creek Dam work platform. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District) — This is the event map that shows the parking area at Halcomb’s Landing and the ceremony location on the Wolf Creek Dam work platform. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District)

“We believe that the product we’ve put in will solve all of the problems that we’ve experienced on this dam in the past,” Getty said.

According to a Corps press release, the event is open to the public at the dam located in Jamestown, Ky. “Dignitaries will speak and initiate the ceremonial last concrete placement on the barrier guide wall, which signifies the official completion of the barrier wall installation,” according to the announcement.

“The purpose of the ceremony is to just celebrate the completion of the barrier wall project that we’ve been undergoing for the last few years,” said Adam Walker, the Corps’ event organizer. “It’s a $594 million dollar project, and this barrier wall is the main component of the dam remediation project that we have going on to eliminate seepage from underneath Wolf Creek Dam.”

The Corps press release provides the following details about the event.

Parking for the event is available at Halcomb’s Landing. A shuttle service to the ceremony location on the work platform begins at 8:30 a.m. There will be a handicapped accessible shuttle. The public can also walk from the parking area, but it is close to a mile distance each way. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early to accommodate being in place in time for the start of the ceremony. Open seating is on a first-come basis. The remainder is standing room.

The event is planned rain or shine. A tent will cover only a portion of the seating area so participants are encouraged to bring umbrellas if inclement weather is anticipated. Portable restrooms will be available, but food and drinks will not. Participants are allowed to bring a snack and water if needed.