Gathright Dam pulse release underway

Norfolk District Public Affairs
Published Sept. 23, 2015
Gathright Dam's intake tower stands out in Lake Moomaw Oct. 13, 2010. The dam and Lake Moomaw Project provide flood protection of industrial, commerical and residential properties along the Jackson and James rivers with immediate impact on Covington, Va.

Gathright Dam's intake tower stands out in Lake Moomaw Oct. 13, 2010. The dam and Lake Moomaw Project provide flood protection of industrial, commerical and residential properties along the Jackson and James rivers with immediate impact on Covington, Va.

NORFOLK, Va. -- At 6 a.m. today, operators at Gathright Dam near Covington, Virginia began conducting a pulse release.

The pulse, conducted by the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will gradually increase and peak at 3,500 cubic feet per second by 9 a.m. and will increase levels 3 to 4.5 feet in the Jackson River.

The maximum surge will last two hours, begin to gradually decrease at 11 a.m., and return to 240 cfs by 1:30 p.m.

The agencies advise people who use the river to be aware of the river fluctuations caused by the pulses.

The remaining 2015 pulse is scheduled for Oct. 14.