Tennessee, Kentucky Residents Prepare for Possible Break in Wolf Creek Dam

People awake each morning with a feeling of contentment as they lie in their nice warm beds. However, for residents in the flood plain of the Wolf Creek Dam, lately those nights have not been as secure. Residents and governments in areas that lie within the flood plain have known since the beginning of the year that they needed to have emergency plans in place should the unimaginable happen, and the dam actually break. There are maps of the flood plain, which encompasses areas in Kentucky and Tennessee readily available on the Internet, at local libraries, and even through some government municipalities. While the accessibility of the flood plain maps can allow residents of the area to know before hand if their work or homes are within the area that could be flooded, it does little to ease concerns of whether or not local and state governments would be prepared to respond if such an emergency did occur.

The Wolf Creek Dam has had reported issues with seepage since 1968. These problems were addressed in the time frame of 1968 to 1970 by grouting the seepage channels, then again in 1975 through 1979 by forming a seepage cut off wall. However, in January of 2007 the dam was once again added to the list of those with a high risk of failure. Once again the problem was due to seepage. It seems that the seepage has created new inlets in and around the current cut off wall. Monies have been allocated and construction begun on a grout curtain and new cut off wall constructed with better materials and newer technologies, so that hopefully the issue of seepage at the dam does not come up again in the next 10 to 15 years.

While the dam itself sits in Russell County, Kentucky even residents in nearby Tennessee counties could be effected should the dam give way. There are plans in place in Sumner, Trousdale and Smith Counties in Tennessee, as all of these areas would be in the flood plain. Trousdale County in particular sent home letters with all of its school children last year instructing parents what to do in the case that the dam were to give way, and asking for a list of individuals who would be allowed to pick up their children should this occur. While the letters allowed the parents of Trousdale County the peace of mind of knowing that their local schools & government were laying plans for handling the situation should it arise, it also left many uneasy as it proved it was truly something that should be of concern for the small community.

For all those residing or working within the flood plain of the Wolf Creek Dam, the official word is to be optimistically cautious. They are currently working on repairing the dam, and hope to have it finished before a break occurs. However, people should be prepared with a plan of action for getting out of the flood plain, and avoiding the water should the dam break. After all, the difference in whether a person survives a catastrophe of the magnitude this would be often lies in the plans they have laid before hand.