The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District will be conducting maintenance activities this summer at Nolin River Lake in Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, which could impact traffic patterns and public access to the tailwtaer area. Visitors may see construction crews on site performing this work during the summer months as these activities are scheduled to begin in May and last through fall 2024.

Maintenance activities will require a section of Nolin Dam Road (KY Hwy 728) to be restricted to one lane while crews complete the work. Additionally, there will be construction equipment around the tailwater and dam area to include a drilling rig, crane, excavators and other equipment. Some parking spaces in the tailwater area may be reserved for these activities.

The upcoming lake maintenance activities include:

• USACE will be installing piezometer instrumentation on the surface of the dam as part of routine maintenance activities. There is no risk of dam failure at Nolin River Lake. The dam continues to operate as designed, providing flood damage reduction to downstream communities. These routine dam maintenance activities are scheduled to begin in as early as May and will take approximately 6-7 weeks to complete.
• Contractors will be onsite to dewater the stilling basin and make concrete repairs. These activities are scheduled to begin as early as June and may last 3-4 weeks. During the stilling basin dewatering and repair work, Nolin dam will be limited to the minimum discharge of 50 cubic feet per second (cfs). This is the normal minimum discharge for Nolin River Lake in the summer and spring months when USACE is holding water. Additionally, this effort is being coordinated with the upcoming removal of the Green River Lock and Dam 5, which will take place after the Nolin stilling basin repairs are fully complete.
• The old USACE Nolin River Lake project office near the dam’s control tower is also scheduled for demolition within the next six months.
• Other maintenance work at the control tower and paving of the road accessing the Nolin River Lake Office may have minimal impacts to visitors.  

The times and duration of these activities are subject to change based on weather conditions and other factors. Any questions concerning the upcoming work can be directed to the Nolin River Lake Office at (270) 286-4511.

For information about Nolin River Lake and for the project’s latest updates visit: https://www.facebook.com/Nolin.River.Lake

-30-