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Corps of Engineers Ceremony to Mark Completion of Wolf Creek Dam Project

USACE photo by Lee Roberts

The Army Corps of Engineers has wrapped up a six-year project to repair Wolf Creek Dam near Jamestown, Kentucky. 

Engineers says the repairs will permanently stop seepage, that in 2005, deemed the structure at high risk of failure.  Project Manager Don Getty says the scope of the project was unlike any other.

"We put in what we call a barrier wall," explains Getty.  "It's an underground wall that's never been attempted on this scale in the world."

To facilitate repairs, the water level on Lake Cumberland was lowered 40 feet below normal, affecting recreation.  The level has been raised ten feet since the project was finished in early March.  The Corps plans to raise the level again this summer and gradually return the lake to normal pool levels by the end of the year.

The Corps will hold a ceremonial placing of the last piece of concrete on the barrier wall April 19.

Lisa is a Scottsville native and WKU alum. She has worked in radio as a news reporter and anchor for 18 years. Prior to joining WKU Public Radio, she most recently worked at WHAS in Louisville and WLAC in Nashville. She has received numerous awards from the Associated Press, including Best Reporter in Kentucky. Many of her stories have been heard on NPR.