Nolin Dam at Work

Nolin Dam at Work. . Nolin River Lake is a multipurpose flood control project operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Any run-off which falls in Nolin Lake’s 703 square mile watershed will eventually flow through the dan’s conduit and into Nolin River below the dam. Hydraulic gates in the control tower can be raised or lowered to change the amount of water flowing through the dam. When high water levels occur downstream, the gates are lowered to reduce the amount of water passing through the dam, thus reducing flooding in downstream rivers. Once downstream water levels have dropped, these gates are raised to release water stored within the lake and return the lake level to the proper elevation., Water flows past the gates in the control tower, then trough the conduit and stilling basin before entering the Nolin River below the dam., Concrete baffle blocks, also known as “dragons teeth”, breaking up the flow of water in the stilling basin, thus preventing erosion in the river below the dam., Water flow in the stilling base at 10,000 cubic feet (78,000 gallons) per second., Did you know… , . Completed in 1963 at a cost of $14.5 million, Nolin River Dam has prevented over $99 million in flood damage downstream. The highest recorded lake level was in May of 2011, when the lake was 44.7 feet above normal summer pool (515’ mean sea level)., . Nolin River Dam is 166 feet high and 980 feet long. A total of 1,536, 136 cubic yards of material was used to build the dam., . Emergency spillway is 300 feet wide, 1,100 feet long, and 75 feet deep. The elevation of the emergency spillway is 560 feet, which is 21 feet lower than the top of the dam. This ensures that water will never overtop the dam., . The conduit through which the water flows is 600 feet long and 18 feet in diameter., . Hydraulic gates which control water flow are 7 ½ feet wide, 14 feet tall, and weigh 10 tons each. Bypass gates, which are 36 inches in diameter, are used for releasing small amounts of water., Overview of the area prior to construction of the dam. Note the previous course of the Nolin River., As much as 78,000 gallons of water flow through the Nolin Dam every second! That’s enough water to fill up a swimming pool…every second., In addition to flood control, Nolin River Lake offers recreational opportunities to over 2 million visitors each year. The Corps of Engineers operates three campgrounds at Nolin: Moutardier, Wax, and Dog Creek. Numerous visitors take advantage of Corps parks, the Nolin State Park, and three marinas to enjoy boating, water skiing and swimming. Fishermen and hunters come from miles around in search of a trophy bass, crappie, catfish, bluegill, walleye, deer or turkey., Numerous fishermen visit Nolin each year searching for a prize catch., [Captions]: Great fishing opportunities are available by boat, on the lake shore, and from fishing piers in several recreation areas at Nolin. , There are many places around the lake to enjoy swimming including Iberia Recreation Area Beach, Dog Creek Campground Beach and Nolin State Park Beach. , Lakefront Campsites are available in Moutardier, Wax, Dog Creek, and Nolin State Park Campgrounds. , Boaters on the lake can enjoy all that Nolin Lake has to offer.