Officials at the Crittenden-Livingston Water District are stressed over falling levels of the Cumberland River. The river is dropping to gravely low marks, below intakes used to suck raw water from the river at the district's water plant at Pinckneyville in Livingston County.
By Thursday evening, the river will be too low for the intakes to draw water, according to Crittenden-Livingston superintendent Donnie Beavers.
"We've been in contact with the Corps of Engineers all day," Beavers said Wednesday night as his crews continued to monitor the situation. "They think this could create a problem for us into the weekend."
The water shortage in the river is due to several factors, including a two-year drought, the drawing down of Lake Cumberland to repair Wolf Creek Dam and the rising Mississippi River.
Beavers said that a Henderson, Ky., company has been contracted to bring in a large mobile pump that will be able to draw 2,000 gallons per minute from the river and pour it into the intakes. While that should avert any serious problems, Beavers says he remains cautious because river levels could stay low for some time, as there is no rain in the immediate forecast.
"Lake Barkley is at about winter pool now, so they can't let any more water out of there," Beavers said.
The Corps of Engineers, which manages the flow of water on inland reservoirs, will be raising the wickets on Dam 52 near Paducah later this week. That should help stave off a more serious situation, Beavers.
