NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Earlier this week, we reported that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was being proactive in advance of the oncoming rains by opening the flood gates on the dams that feed water to the Cumberland River, reducing reservoir lake levels.

Those dams are Percy Priest, Center Hill, Dale Hollow, and Wolf Creek (Lake Cumberland, KY).

Now, the corps feels that it has accomplished its goal and the flood gates are all closed. The dams are mostly only releasing water via the generators that produce electricity.

David Bogena from the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers explains the complicated juggling process of managing the water along the Cumberland River system:

“We’ve been successful.  As you can see, now we actually have closed the spillway gates.  We had them open earlier this week. Here at Percy Priest, we’re down within a foot of where we want to be.  So right near our target.  When we look at Center Hill we are just a little bit higher than we would like to be, but we’re moving in the right direction there.  At Dale Hollow we are right where we want to be, so well, within our guide curve zone we have there, and the same at Wolf Creek, as well.”

Bogena also says that the much smaller dams along the Cumberland River itself do have their flood gates open to keep the water moving downstream in advance of the rain.

Meanwhile, the Tennessee River remains high.

At Perryville, the river is just about to fall below Action Stage. But rain Friday and Saturday could change that.

Meanwhile, the Tennessee River at Savannah remains in Minor Flood Stage and will likely rise from the oncoming rains, as well.