The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has received an estimated $20.4 million from the federal government for Center Hill Lake and Dale Hollow Lake.
Corps of Engineers Nashville and Mid-Cumberland Operations Project Manager Terrell Stoves said a portion of Dale Hollow’s funding will go towards repairing storm damage. A washout exposed a sewer pipe that supports the Power House, the Dale Hollow Dam Campground, as well as the resource management office.
“That pipe has been exposed by that storm damage, and we have to go in and restore that to prevent putting that pipe at risk of potential for bursting and spill into the river,” Stoves said. “This funding is going to allow us to go and do those necessary repairs and preserve that so we avoid any environmental impacts that may come from that.”
Stoves said that at Center Hill Lake, a portion of the funding will go towards purchasing a backup generator that supports flood risk operations in case of a power failure.
Stoves said the funding will primarily help cover the cost of routine maintenance at both lakes.
“It’s a variety of things that go into those, which are park attendant contracts, contractors that are doing our cleaning and mowing routine, just routine maintenance in the park,” Stoves said. “It gets really complex when you think about all the things that go into running a recreation facility, but it may be replacing sand on beaches, or playground inspections and maintenance, replacing gravel in impact areas and sites, just even down to the little things like trash pickup.”
Stoves said having funding to perform routine powerhouse maintenance and inspection is critical to ensure safety and reliability at each lake. Stoves said the funding is critical to help maintain the aging facilities at both lakes.
“One of the biggest challenges that we face in our careers here is just maintaining some of these older facilities,” Stoves said. “We have aging infrastructure. Our lakes range anywhere from 50-81 years old in my area, which includes Cordell Hull, Center Hill, and Dale Hollow Lakes. The infrastructure for those are in most cases that old as well. It has not been replaced in all of these years and is due for upgrades.”
Stoves said the Corps of Engineers has not received the funding yet, but are hoping to begin projects soon.
The Corps of Engineers received an estimated $10.68 million for Center Hill Lake. An estimated $9.76 million will help with projects at Dale Hollow Lake.
