The water levels of Lake Cumberland continue to rise, approaching record levels for the month of February, according to the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Randy Kerr, civil engineer in the Water Resources Section of the Corps’ Nashville District, said yesterday that Lake Cumberland water levels were trending toward last February’s devastating high lake levels that heavily damaged recreational areas along Lake Cumberland.
Kerr told the Somerset Commonwealth Journal that last February, 12.3 inches of rain fell in the Wolf Creek watershed, sending the level of Lake Cumberland 33 feet above the tree line, some 4 feet higher than it had ever been. High water encroached upon recreational areas along the lake inflicting heavy damage.
For comparison, As of yesterday, six and a half inches of rain have already fallen so far this February in Wolf Creek watershed, According to Kerr. As of 11 a.m. yesterday, Lake Cumberland was at 718.28 feet above sea level, and rising at the rate of about a foot in about six hours and about 4 feet a day. Corp officials said more than 26,000 cubic feet of water a second were being released through Wolf Creek Dam and the lake, as of noon Tuesday, was about 5 feet below the tree line and rising.
Cumberland River which flows into Lake Cumberland is still in flood stage and is expected to stay above flood stage until Saturday.
