LANCASTER, Tenn. – The first tours of the Center Hill Lake Power Plant since Sept. 11, 2001 drew the young and the elderly here today. Visitors ranged from an 83-year-old gentleman who worked on construction of the dam to a nine-year-old boy whose late great-grandfather’s property was reduced by approximately 100 acres, but who also worked on construction of the dam.
“Most of the younger folks around here nowadays don’t remember the flooding that occurred almost annually before this dam was built,” said Tom Nixon, 83, who worked for one of the contractors during construction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District dam that was completed for flood control in 1948.
Mr. Nixon came with his wife, Dorothy; son, David; and daughter-in-law, Gloria, and shared some of his memories with Corps personnel during the tour of the power plant, the open house at the resource manager’s office and the update briefing on the Earthen Dam Seepage Rehabilitation Project.
Among the younger visitors was Jared Herren, 9, whose late great-grandfather, Oba Herren, reportedly lost approximately 100 acres of property taken for construction of the dam and resulting Center Hill Lake, but who was also employed in the construction.
Jared was accompanied by his parents, Glen and Jill Herren and showed interest in all phases of the tour and open house, particularly in the huge drilling rig working on the earthen dam barrier wall and the 110-inch by 84-inch Bauer HydroCutter that will drill more than 300 feet into the soil and rock.
“Bauer’s HydroCutter is the largest in the world, developed for this project. They excavate with large cutting teeth on the reverse rotating wheels and the rock cuttings are pumped back to the surface in a slurry medium for removal,” said Linda Adcock, project manager. “With the pertinent questions Jared asked, I had difficulty accepting that he was only nine years old,” she added.
Additional guided tours of the Center Hill Lake Power Plant, which are approximately 45 minutes, are scheduled at 10 and 11 a.m., and noon, Aug. 18 and Sept. 22. Tour size is limited and is on a first-come, first-serve basis. All guests including minors are required to submit a request form at least five days prior to the tour and receive confirmation from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District.
To request a tour registration form and to learn more about tour rules and details please call the Center Hill Lake Resource Manager’s Office at (931) 858-3125, or visit the Center Hill Lake website at http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/op/cen/rec/.
For more news, updates and information, visit the Nashville District website at www.lrn.usace.army.mil, and follow on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nashvillecorps. The public can also follow Center Hill Lake’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/centerhilllake.