Old Hickory Lock and Dam Project

FACT SHEET

(As of August 2012)

AUTHORIZATION: Rivers and Harbors Act of 1946 (PL 79-526)

TYPE OF PROJECT: Old Hickory Lock and Dam Project is a “run-of-the-river,” multi-purpose project that provides hydroelectric power, navigation, environmental stewardship and recreation with minimal annual pool fluctuation.

LOCATION: Old Hickory Lock and Dam, located on the Cumberland River at mile 216.2 in Sumner and Davidson Counties, Tennessee, is approximately 25 miles upstream from Nashville, Tennessee. Old Hickory is a multi-purpose projects designed for flood risk management, navigation, and hydropower.

CONGRESSIONAL INTEREST: Cooper (TN-5), Black (TN-6), Corker (TN), Alexander (TN)

HISTORY:

·   Construction of the Old Hickory Lock and Dam Project began in January of 1952.

·   Construction of the dam closure was completed and the lake was impounded in 1954.

·   Old Hickory Lock was opened to navigation in June of 1954.

·   The project was completed for full beneficial use in December of 1957 with the placement of the final hydroelectric power unit.

OLD HICKORY LAKE

·   The lake extends 97.3 river miles from the dam to Cordell Hull Lock and Dam at Carthage, Tennessee and it has 440 miles of shoreline.

·   At normal pool elevation, which is 445 feet above mean sea level, the lake has 22,500 surface acres of water.

·    At maximum pool elevation, which is 450 feet above mean sea level, the lake increases to 27,450 surface acres of water.

·   The entire project encompasses a total of 25,802 acres of fee property, 3,653 acres of flowage easement land and 4,700 acres of riverbed.

·   Old Hickory Lake is ranked in the top five of the 25 most visited Corps lakes nationwide.

·   In fiscal year 2011, 9.3 million visitors recreated in and on Old Hickory Lake Project lands and water with a recreation economic impact of $172.2 million.

·   There are eight marinas, three private clubs and two group camps on Old Hickory Lake.

·   There are 12 Corps operated recreation areas (including two campgrounds), eight non-Corps operated recreation areas and 22 launching access points on Old Hickory Lake.

·   To ensure the proper long-range management of public resources, Old Hickory Lake has implemented a shoreline management plan that allocates the shoreline to the following: Prohibited Access Areas, Public Recreation Areas, Protected Shoreline Areas, and Limited Development Areas.

·   To learn more about Old Hickory Lake’s Shoreline Management Plan contact the Resource Manager’s Office at (615) 822-4846 or (615) 847-2395.

OLD HICKORY HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANT AND DAM

·   3,750 feet long and 98 feet high, Old Hickory Dam consists of a concrete-gravity power plant and spillway section and a rolled earth embankment. 

·   The 355 foot spillway section consists of six tainter gates with a capable discharge capacity of 236,000 cubic feet per second.

·   Each tainter gate is 41.5 feet wide by 45 feet tall and weighs 172,000 pounds.

·   Four power generating units are housed in the power house section of the dam.  Each unit is capable of producing 25 mega-watts.

·   The estimated average annual energy output is 880,439,923 kilowatt-hours. This production is enough to power an estimated 36,000 homes annually.

OLD HICKORY LOCK

·   Old Hickory Lock is one of four locks located along the 300 plus navigable miles in the Cumberland River Basin.

·   The single chamber Old Hickory Lock structure is 84 feet wide by 400 feet long with a normal lift of 60 feet.

·   The chamber requires 14,515,200 gallons of water per lockage.

·   The minimum fill time for the lock chamber (at normal reservoir pool evaluation) is 12.6 minutes.

·   It takes approximately two hours for a commercial tugboat with a four barge tow and 30 minutes for a pleasure craft to lock through.

BUDGET ($): Estimated project costs are shown below.

For more information regarding the Old Hickory Lock and Dam Project, contact Tony H. Bivens, Operations Project Manager, CELRN-OP-NAS/A, phone: (615) 847-0131, or email tony.h.bivens@usace.army.mil