PITTSBURGH DISTRICT

Project manager: Craig Carney

What is a Water Control Manual?
A water control manual is the guiding document that specifies how the Corps of Engineers operates their reservoirs. Each reservoir has congressionally mandated purposes, and these manuals are what the Corps uses to balance those purposes. They also provide details on the reservoir's history, authorizations, watershed characteristics, data collection networks, forecasting methods, and stakeholder coordination. The most critical section is the water control plan, which outlines the operational plan to meet all of the reservoir's congressionally mandated purposes.

Importance of a Water Control Manual
A Water Control Manual is important because it provides operational instructions to personnel involved in managing the reservoir. A Water Control Manual is especially important because it provides clear instructions to be followed during emergency situations. Since the manuals contain records of institutional knowledge, they also prevent the loss of operational expertise. They also ensure unbiased operations and that mission priorities are transparent to the public.

Status on Updates to District Water Control Manuals
The Pittsburgh District is in the process of updating all 16 of its reservoirs' Water Control Manuals. The first manual to be updated is for Stonewall Jackson Lake on the West Fork River in West Virginia. Union City Dam's Control Manual will be updated second in the process. The remaining reservoir manual updates will be completed throughout the upcoming ten years.

 

Public Involvement
The Pittsburgh District greatly values the concerns and interest of water resource stakeholders throughout the region. We plan on having public meetings during the Water Control Manual update process in order to keep the public informed of any changes we make to our Water Control plans. If you are interested in learning more, or would like to be kept informed about public meetings and public involvement activities concerning the Water Control Manual updates for a specific reservoir, please send us an email by clicking on the "questions" button above.

Reference Documents
Stonewall Jackson Lake General Design Memo Vol. I, Jan. 1971
Stonewall Jackson Lake General Design Memo Vol. II, Jan. 1971
Union City Dam General Design Memo Part 1, Oct. 1964

Additional Information
It is important to note that updating the Water Control Manuals does not allow the Army Corps of Engineers to change the congressionally-authorized purposes of the reservoirs. Any desire by a community to change storage allocation or purposes of a Federal reservoir would need to seek congressional approval through a reallocation study.