The Pensacola Dam opens floodgates, releasing 49494 cubic feet per second

MAYES COUNTY, Okla. (KOAM) — The Pensacola Dam which holds the Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees on Tuesday opened 4 floodgates according to the US Army Corps of Engineers Tulsa .

The Pensacola is referred to as the longest multiple-arch dam in the world. It has 51 arches and is 1.24-miles (6,565-ft) in length and rises 150-ft tall.

As of noon Wednesday they are releasing 49494 cubic feet per second. There are 4 Tainter Gates open 25-feet.

• The lake remains 4.27 ft ABOVE normal
• Pool elevation is 746.3 feet on 01MAY2024 13:00 hours.
• At this elevation the total amount of water stored in Pensacola (Grand Lake) is 1497014 acre-feet.
• Flood pool is 29.44% full.
• Flood pool storage filled is 188361 acre-feet which is equivalent to 0.34 inches of runoff over the entire drainage basin.
• Flood pool storage empty is 451398 acre-feet which is equivalent to 0.82 inches of runoff over the entire drainage basin.

This release would be a reaction to the incoming water from these USGS monitored sites upstream:

• GHCO2 :Honey Creek nr South West City, MO
• MIAO2 :Neosho River At Miami, OK
• MTCO2 :Tar Creek at 22nd St Bridge, Miami OK
• QUAO2 :Spring River Near Quapaw, OK
• TIFM7 :Elk River, Tiff City, MO
• BCCM7 :Buffalo Creek near Tiff City, MO

And here are levels downstream:

• LNRO2 : Neosho River nr Langley (Service Rd)

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The Pensacola Dam is fascinating sight, it’s also known as the Grand River Dam , is a multiple- arch buttress dam located between the towns of Disney and Langley on the Grand River in Mayes County , Oklahoma .

The dam is operated by the Grand River Dam Authority and creates Grand Lake o' the Cherokees .

After decades of vision and planning, it was constructed between 1938 and 1940 for the purposes of hydroelectric power generation, flood control and recreation. It is Oklahoma's first hydroelectric power plant.

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