The Corps of Engineers' Cordell Hull Dam

On the Cumberland River near Carthage, TN, is Cordell Hull Dam. This dam is a concrete gravity type with gated spillway and earthfill wings. Maximum height is 87 feet and total length is 1,306 feet. There is an 84x400 foot lock here, lifting 59 feet at normal pool levels. The spillway has five Tainter gates and can spill up to 175,000 cubic feet per second when necessary. We were there during a "high water event", but they weren't spilling here. We weren't sure if it was because the high water had already passed, or hadn't gotten here yet. The other two dams we saw on this trip were spilling, because of high water on the Caney Fork River, which joins the Cumberland downstream from here.

The power house has three turbine/generator assemblies, good for a total of 100 Megawatts. Even though they weren't spilling, they were generating full blast, and the river downstream was very muddy.

The switchyard is on top of a ridge overlooking the river.

You used to be welcome at any Army Corps of Engineers Dam or Lock. That is no longer true, thanks to the events of September 11, 2001. Hopefully once the vermin responsible for those events are exterminated things will go back to normal.