NORFOLK, Virginia - Officials at the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, have canceled this year's final pulse release scheduled for Oct. 17 at Gathright Dam, near Covington, Va.
The decision to cancel the final 2018 scheduled Pulse Release from Gathright Dam has been made in coordination with Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Covington, and the lower Jackson River, are experiencing flows higher than the pulse in response to rainfall yesterday and overnight.
The series of pulse releases were developed in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, and are designed to remove algae and improve the overall water quality and ecological resources in the lower Jackson River.
During a pulse release, dam operators gradually increase water flow from the dam to a rate of 3,500 cubic feet per second, a surge that’s generally maintained for two hours. In some areas, the rate of the river rise can exceed two feet per hour.
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