Floods threaten Nashville's water supply

[marmar]

from the Tennessean:



Floods threaten Nashville's water supply
By Brad Schrade and Nate Rau • THE TENNESSEAN • May 4, 2010


Metro’s Omohundro Water Treatment Plant wasn’t overtaken by flood waters overnight, sparing thousands of Nashville residents a worst-case scenario of relying on bottled water.

With the K.R. Harrington water treatment plant already down, city officials had urged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to restrict flow of water out of Old Hickory Dam to prevent flooding of the second water treatment plant.

The Cumberland River crested downtown at 51.86 feet at 6 p.m. Monday. That’s about 12 feet above Nashville’s flood stage, but was still .64 feet shy of the level that would have flooded the Omohundro plant.

“We got within about .64 feet of losing it, but now the river have subsided and we’re not going to lose that plant now,” said Clint Neel, a hydraulic engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Nashville. “It’s already dropped down to 50.4 feet this morning, so we’ve already lost almost a foot and a half.”

A spokeswoman with Metro Water Services couldn’t be reached for comments.

Reported earlier

On a day when the Cumberland River continued to rise, crippling Middle Tennessee neighborhoods, businesses and several of Nashville's iconic music, sports and tourist spots, the most critical threat Monday night was that already devastating floodwaters would knock out the city's drinking supply. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100504/NEWS02/5040349

[rurallib]

1. Another year, another 500 year flood somewhere in the US

we had it in Iowa 2 years ago. Dakotas last year. Probably somewhere else also.
These floods now destroy way beyond just those on the banks. It will take at least 10 years for us to recover.
I expect it will take Tennessee that long also.
And next year it will be some other city unexpectedly getting a 20" deluge. Maybe later this spring.