GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Record low water levels on the Tennessee River have created a management challenge for the operators of the Kentucky Hydro Plant at the Kentucky Dam.
Plant manager Bill Stallion told The Paducah Sun (http://bit.ly/L9StH4 ) that maintaining levels on the river as well as Kentucky Lake is a balancing act of keeping the minimum levels necessary for the dam while making marinas, boaters and fishermen happy.
Tennessee Valley Authority spokesman Scott Brooks says low river levels can pose a hazard to fishermen, who face dangers when turbines switch on while the water level is low.
The Tennessee River sat around 301 feet above sea level on Tuesday. In May 2011, water almost topped the dam's gates that sit 375 feet above sea level.
