The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Nashville District, announced today that drought conditions in the Cumberland River Basin will lead to modified operations of Cumberland River Basin reservoirs in order to reduce, to the extent possible, the adverse impacts along the river.
Adverse impacts will affect project purposes all along the Cumberland River from Laurel River Lake to Lake Barkley. There will be adverse impacts to project purposes including: recreation, hydropower, navigation, water quality, and water supply as well as to fisheries along the Cumberland River and fossil fuel power plants along the Cumberland River.
The drought conditions being experienced in the Cumberland River Basin are due to lack of precipitation during early 2007. The impacts of the drought will be greater than normal due to operating restrictions at Lake Cumberland and Center Hill Lakes. Wolf Creek and Center Hill Dams are being operated at lower levels after being classified as high risk dams. Both dams have major rehabilitation projects ongoing.
“We are seeing conditions that we would not normally see until the end of August in a typically dry year,” said Bob Sneed, Chief of the Water Management Section, Nashville District. “I am also concerned about the low dissolved oxygen levels (DO) at some of our reservoirs. For instance, Old Hickory Lake is seeing the lowest DO levels since 1988.”
Fish kills are possible if water temperatures in the Cumberland River continue to rise and the dissolved oxygen levels continue to drop. Warmer water puts stress on fish over time and then the lower dissolved oxygen rates make the water uninhabitable for fish, according to Sneed.
The Nashville District is taking every action it can to provide water for water supply intakes, to protect the public safety of the recreational user, to maintain the navigation channel, to maintain the fisheries along the Cumberland River and to maintain operations of fossil fuel power plants along the Cumberland River. The operation of the Cumberland River Basin will be modified to the extent possible to mitigate for the drought conditions.
According to Bill Barron, chief of the Hydrology and Hydraulics Branch, Nashville District, many actions that have already been taken include: asking Eastern Kentucky Power to run only minimum hydropower releases at Laurel River Lake; pulsing of hydropower generation at Wolf Creek Dam every 6 hours to keep water supply intakes covered at Burkesville, KY and Cumberland County, KY and to keep water temperature below the dam low. The Corps is also pulsing at Center Hill Dam every 12 hours for similar reasons; filling of Dale Hollow to higher than normal elevations to provide for extra storage; filling of Cordell Hull, Old Hickory, and Cheatham Lakes to slightly higher levels for emergency mitigations; spilling and partial hydropower generation at Old Hickory Dam to improve dissolved oxygen and to provide a “window of opportunity” for navigation.
In addition the Corps is spilling at Cheatham Dam to try to keep water temperatures low and to assist navigation; removing tail water restrictions at Lake Barkley and adjusting releases to minimum flow used only as flow is needed for navigation, and increased monitoring of the water temperature and dissolved oxygen levels along the Cumberland River. Future actions may include: discharging more water at tributary projects (Dale Hollow Lake, Center Hill Lake and J. Percy Priest Lake) thereby reducing their water levels below normal.
The good news is the cold water fisheries below Wolf Creek and Center Hill Dams at present are doing well because of the amount of cold water being released now, but if water temperatures rise these fisheries may be in danger. “I have been told the trout fishing is great below Wolf Creek Dam and in the Caney Fork River below Center Hill Dam,” said Sneed.
The operating objectives for the Cumberland River Basin in order of priority (highest to lowest) are: water supply, water quality, navigation, hydropower, and recreation. These objectives are also project purposes and ranked in this order with public safety as the number one priority.
The pool levels in tributary projects (Dale Hollow Lake, Center Hill Lake and J. Percy Priest Lake) will be lowered as required to maintain the operating objectives of the Cumberland River Basin. As the drought continues, recreational users will see gradually lower water levels.
As the lake levels are gradually lowered, rocks and other obstacles may be exposed and become hazards for boaters and other recreational users. Also, certain areas of lakes may not be accessible due to the low water.
Other concerns are maintaining navigation along the Cumberland River and the operation of fossil fuel power plants on the River. The Corps is working with the navigation industry to provide “windows of opportunity” where there will be enough flow for navigation. The Corps is also working with the Sherman Cooper Power Plant, the Gallatin Steam Plant and the Cumberland City Power Plant to lessen impacts to their operations.
“We will be trying to balance the operating objectives to best utilize the water we have in the Cumberland River Basin,” said Barron, “but we know there will be adverse impacts to all of the objectives this year. In a normal year, we have enough water that we only have to juggle two or three objectives, say water quality, navigation and hydropower, but this year we are juggling all five.”

The Smithville Police Department Employee of the month for April and May was Records Custodian Sue Mathis.
Presented by Police Chief Thomas J. Stufano, Police Commissioner Aaron Meeks, and Mayor Taft Hendrixson, the commendation states that “On behalf of the City of Smithville Police Department, I would like to commend you for your recent actions and diligent efforts in your capacity as Records Custodian and Front Office Supervisor. Your determination and efforts this month in handling, filing, and entering reports into the TIBERS system has substantially increased the performance of this department. The efficiency provided by your expertise and organizational skills has streamlined operations and presented an efficient presence to citizens in their quest for reporting information.”
“Due to your professionalism, TIBERS training, the many hours of dedicated service in inputting this critical information, you have been commended on numerous occasions by TBI for your efficiency. This has shown favorably on the Police Department. You have served with distinction and are a credit to your profession as a Smithville Police Officer.”
“Additionally, your work ethic and tenacity during the month of April and May has shown your true commitment to the citizens we serve and your fellow co-workers.”
“I appreciate your input and current performance and for that you are hereby formally recognized and commended with a copy of this Commendation becoming apart of your permanent personnel record for all to see.”
“Congratulations on a job well done!”

The Executive Director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government has written a letter to city leaders asking them to review and reconsider portions of an ordinance adopted last fall which he says may be contrary to relevant state law, appellate court decisions, and opinions of the State Attorney General
Frank Gibson says he is concerned about the City of Smithville’s ordinance regulating access to, inspection of, and reproduction of public records and believes it may have the effect of hindering public access. He is asking city officials to either review the ordinance or submit it to the Municipal Technical Advisory Service for a legal review.
Specifically, Gibson says the ordinance contains at least two troubling sections: One requires citizens to submit “requests for inspection or copying” in writing or on a form provided by the city. The other imposes fees in the form of “actual personnel costs” to retrieve and or supervise access to records. That is on top of a 25 cent per page copying fee.
Gibson says the Tennessee Court of Appeals noted in 2005 that the Public Records Act does not allow an official to condition access to records on filling out a form or making the request in writing.
The city ordinance also authorizes city employees to charge for time spent “retrieving and accessing” and “supervising access to and inspection of or reproduction of records.”
Gibson says court decisions allow agencies to adopt “reasonable rules” but only to cover the cost of copies.
According to Gibson, the State Supreme Court said in a case called The Tennessean vs Electric Power Board, that “there is no authority under the (Public Records) Act allowing agencies to establish rules that would substantially inhibit disclosure of records. Moreover, limiting an agency to rules governing only the actual ‘making of extracts, copies, photographs, or photostats is consistent with the legislative policy in favor of the fullest possible access.”
Gibson says “The State Attorney General has said in an Opinion that “conditioning the right to inspect a public record upon payment of a fee unauthorized by state law would be tantamount to denying the right of inspection that is set forth in state law.”
In response, former City Attorney Sarah Cripps says “Contrary to the protestations of Frank Gibson, the Director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government, the City of Smithville’s Public Records Ordinance was, indeed, reviewed by the Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS). In fact, former City Attorney Cripps forwarded the Public Records Ordinance to MTAS Attorney Dennis Huffer for his review prior to the ordinance being submitted to the Smithville Mayor and Board of Alderman for approval. Attorney Huffer made certain changes to the ordinance which were incorporated into the ordinance that was utlimately passed by the Smithville Mayor and Board of Aldermen.”

The Smithville Police Department and city leaders have presented an Official Police Commendation to Chief Thomas J. Stufano.
The commendation was signed by Mayor Taft Hendrixson, Police Commissioner Aaron Meeks, Lieutenant Patrol Division Commander Steven Leffew, Lieutenant Special Services Commander Richard Jennings, and Lieutenant Detective/Internal Affairs Commander Steve Deffendoll.
It states that “This commendation is presented to you on behalf of all of the Police Officers and Staff of the Smithville Police Department.”
“Due to your superior leadership and guidance, you have provided us with a professional agency that we are proud and honored to be apart of. It is said that a good leader leads by example’. The example you have displayed as our Chief through your professionalism and understanding has firmly established our confidence in you as a great leader of people and the officers of this agency.”
“It is with great pleasure that we show our sincerest gratitude to you for significantly elevating this agency’s standards and also for being genuinely interested in our safety and professionalism.”
“We pledge to you that your tireless efforts to establish a professional workforce not go unheeded and we as a total department will continue to strive for excellence in our duties as Police Officers for the residents of this city.”
“On behalf of the entire City of Smithville Police Department, we would like to commend you for your actions and diligent efforts in your capacity as this agency’s Chief of Police. We appreciate your input and current performance and for that you are hereby formally recognized and commended with a copy of this citation being submitted to the Mayor and Police Commissioner to become apart of your permanent personnel record for all to observe.”
“Congratulations on a job well done!”

The inmates are working a summer Garden.
Sheriff Patrick Ray says the garden is located on Highway 70 east of Smithville.
Ray said inmates have planted tomato plants along with squash, cucumbers, pepper and two kinds of beans. He is hoping that vegetables grown in the garden will help ease the cost of the food budget at the jail.
Sheriff Ray says four-to-six inmates work at a time, under supervision, in the garden. He says the prisoners seem to enjoy it as a way of giving something back to the county during their incarceration.
Sheriff Ray says Bobby Colvert has donated use of the land for the garden and Steve White did the ground preparation.
Ray said the only cost to the county was the purchase of seed and the jail already had a refurbished tiller and the hand tools necessary to work the garden.