Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/11681/13655
Title: Navigation conditions on the Lower Cumberland River, Kentucky : hydraulic model investigation
Authors: United States. Army. Corps of Engineers. Nashville District
Shows, Louis J.
Franco, John J.
Keywords: Cumberland River
Kentucky
Fixed-bed models
Hydraulic models
Navigation conditions
Waterways
Inland navigation
Barkley, Lake (Ky. and Tenn.)
Hydraulic structures
Publisher: Hydraulics Laboratory (U.S.)
Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.)
Series/Report no.: Technical report (U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station) ; HL-79-7.
Description: Technical Report
Abstract: This study is concerned with a short reach of the Cumberland River just downstream of Barkley Lock and Dam. The reach is narrow and of irregular alignment with some very sharp bends and two fixed-span highway bridges, one located just downstream of the lower lock appr oach and the other located just downstream of a sharp bend. Currents in the reach are affected by continuous changes in powerhouse releases and changes in stages on the Ohio River located about 30 miles downstream of the dam. The model investigation was primarily concerned with navigation conditions in the lower lock approach and in the reach downstream and with the development of plans as required to provide satisfactory navigation conditions for both upbound and downbound traffic. A fixed-bed model reproducing Barkley Dam, the powerhouse, the portion of the lock downstream of the dam, and about 7.3 miles of the Cumberland River to an undistorted scale of 1:120 was used for the investigation. Results of the investigation indicated that with existing conditions navigation conditions are difficult and hazardous for large tows and are affected by changes in powerhouse releases, eddy currents, high velocities , and sharp bends. Conditions could be improved by increasing the interval between the increase or decrease of the number of powerhouse units in operation, adding dikes downstream of the powerhouse and lower lock guard wall, and increasing the width of channel and realignment of the banks in the sharp bends. Increasing the tailwater elevation with control structures would produce only limited navigation benefits, particularly during higher flows, and would substantially decrease the head available at the powerhouse.
Rights: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/11681/13655
Appears in Collections:Technical Report

Files in This Item:
File Description SizeFormat 
TR-HL-79-7.pdf9.32 MBAdobe PDFThumbnail
View/Open