U.S. Representative Ed Whitfield is planning to hold a stakeholder meeting next month to discuss extending the summer pool water levels at Lake Barkley. The dialogue will include representatives of the community, area businesses, property owners, sportsmen, conservationists and the Army Corps of Engineers.“Lake Barkley is a critical part of western Kentucky - bringing in valuable tourism dollars to the economy, providing numerous jobs throughout the region and serving as a treasured vacation spot for thousands,” Whitfield said. “It is critical that all interested parties come together to determine the feasible and appropriate pool levels that best serve the community’s needs - without compromising safety.”
Whitfield will host a meeting at Lake Barkley, tentatively in late August, to try to reach a consensus on when summer water levels will be reduced to winter pool levels at the popular recreation site. Participants will be invited to tour the lake before beginning discussions on various proposals regarding when, and by how much, lake levels will be dropped. A final compromise proposal will be drafted at the stakeholders meeting and submitted to the Army Corps of Engineers to begin an environmental assessment. Any eventual adjustment will require either regulatory approval by the Corps or federal legislation.
Each year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers begins its drawdown of Lake Barkley in early-July when traffic on the water is at its peak. Lake Barkley is a relatively shallow body of water filled with a number of obstructions, including tree stumps, road beds and old house foundations. These obstructions factor into a number of boating accidents as the lake gets shallower each summer and have played a role in fatalities over the years.
Recreation at Lake Barkley also generates millions of dollars of economic activity throughout the year, but the worsening problem of lower lake levels has seriously impacted business in the region. Many community leaders believe that maintaining summer pool levels under normal weather conditions through the peak summer recreation months would extend the recreation season on Lake Barkley and strengthen tourism in western Kentucky while also improving boating safety.
