Courtesy Photo | This is Lock 7 Sept. 28, 1914, in Carthage, Tennessee, showing an arrangement of...... read more read more
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (June 3, 2025) – The steady flow of the Cumberland River is intertwined with the story of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. As the Army and USACE mark a quarter-millennium of service this month, it’s fitting to highlight the Nashville District’s enduring legacy in shaping the landscape of the region, reducing flood risk, powering communities, establishing navigation, promoting safe recreation, and stewarding natural resources.
Since their inception in 1775, the Army and USACE have supported America’s defense and development as the nation expanded westward, requiring exploration and development of water resources. For more than 100 years after achieving the nation’s independence, American pioneers had to navigate along parts of the 688-mile Cumberland River in Kentucky and Tennessee in shallow draft boats or on larger vessels during high-water periods to trade goods in communities like Nashville.
According to a paper written by Don Sharp in 1972 titled “History of Cumberland River Development,” the past, present, and future of the Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky region are indelibly associated with the Cumberland River.
Special Order 191 created the USACE Nashville District Aug. 18, 1888, to construct a series of locks and dams on the Cumberland River in Tennessee and Kentucky. By 1924, the Nashville District had completed 15 locks and wicket dams on the Cumberland, assuring a six-foot channel depth, which provided for safe navigation.
“Its mission (the Nashville District) was to improve navigation facilities on the Cumberland River,” Sharp wrote. “Thriving steamboat traffic existed in the early days, thanks to pioneer improvements with construction of wing dams, jetties, dykes and by snag removal. However, the upper Cumberland area and other sections depending on the river as a main artery of commerce suffered in low water seasons when the boats could not operate.”
Sharp, who served as Nashville District Operations assistant chief, noted that with the 15 low-lift lock and dam projects, they provided a dependable six-foot and usually nine-foot channel from the mouth of the river to Nashville, approximately 190 miles, and about 140 miles beyond. These single-purpose projects provided a navigation channel for trade and delivery of goods and services to the region.
In the 1930s, the Corps of Engineers developed plans and began constructing today’s modern dams, hydropower plants, and navigation locks to provide flood risk reduction benefits, produce low-cost hydroelectricity, improve navigation, improve water quality and supply, and promote recreation.
“Comprehensive multi-purpose planning has made possible a much higher level of development, which provides a correspondingly higher level of benefits than could have been achieved with single-purpose projects,” Sharp wrote.
Since the development of the modern dams in the Cumberland River Basin, the Nashville District has been involved in some of the most notable construction projects in the history of the United States, such as Wilson Dam on the Tennessee River in the 1920s, the Manhattan Project at Oak Ridge in the 1940s, and Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway in the 1980s. In 1992, the district also constructed four 2000-foot tunnels through a mountain to divert flows from Clover Fork of the Cumberland River around the City of Harlan, Kentucky. Other phases of the project were completed by 1999, which included a 4,000-foot floodwall protecting Harlan, and the diversion of the Cumberland River around Loyall.
Today the Nashville District directs all water resources activities of the Corps throughout the Cumberland River Basin, and navigation and regulatory matters in the Cumberland and Tennessee River Basins. The district’s construction and operations programs are spread throughout a 59,000 square mile area that touch seven states.
Ongoing USACE construction projects include the Chickamauga Lock Replacement Project and Kentucky Lock Addition Project on the Tennessee River and Spillway Gates Replacement Project at Center Hill Dam in Lancaster, Tennessee, and Wolf Creek Dam in Jamestown, Kentucky, in the Cumberland River Basin.
The Nashville District operates and maintains 10 multi-purpose dam projects for navigation, flood damage reduction, hydropower, water quality, environmental stewardship, and recreation. Nine of the dams generate hydroelectric power. It also operates and maintains four navigation locks on the Cumberland River, and 14 lock chambers on the Tennessee River system at 10 Tennessee Valley Authority dams. The district is responsible for 1,175 commercially navigable river miles.
More than 22.7 million visitors recreate each year at the Nashville District’s 10 lakes, 273 recreation areas, 108 playgrounds, 72 swim areas, 104 hiking trails, 108 picnic sites, 25 campgrounds and 3,203 campsites. Park rangers manage 336,106 acres of public lands, 3,800 miles of shoreline and 201,385 water acres with 22 fishing docks and 281 boat ramps.
"With a proud heritage, the Nashville District remains steadfast in our commitment to operating these vital civil works projects," said Lt. Col. Robert Green, Nashville District commander. "Our dedicated employees are the cornerstone of the nation's growth and welfare, tackling our most complex water-related and infrastructure engineering challenges."
As the Army and Corps of Engineers celebrate their 250th birthdays, it’s appropriate to remember the contributions and impacts on the defense and development of America and regionally along waterways like the Cumberland River. To commemorate this milestone, USACE is participating in events and activities nationwide throughout the year, including ceremonies, exhibits, and community outreach programs. Learn more about USACE’s 250th activities at www.usace.army.mil/250th.
The public can obtain news, updates and information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District on the district’s website at https://www.lrd.usace.army.mil/About/Districts/Nashville-District/ on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps and on X (formerly Twitter) at www.x.com/nashvillecorps. Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest Nashville District employment and contracting opportunities at https://www.linkedin.com/company/u-s-army-corps-of-engineers-nashville-district.
| Date Taken: | 06.03.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.03.2025 12:32 |
| Story ID: | 499522 |
| Location: | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 59 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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