COVINGTON, Va. - Officials at the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have canceled Wednesday's pulse release at Gathright Dam.
The Norfolk District, in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, determined that recent rainfall eliminated the need for the second planned pulse release of the year.
"The higher flows, which occurred as a result of recent storms, accomplished what the scheduled pulse was intended for," said Owen Reece, Norfolk District hydraulic engineer.
The pulse, the second of six scheduled through October, supported the Gathright Dam Low Flow Augmentation Project. The project will document the water quality and environmental benefits of an alternative water control plan, which includes scheduled pulses, for the dam.
The project's adaptive management plan allows for changes, such as cancelations, to the scheduled pulses.
The remaining four 2015 pulse dates are scheduled for the following Tuesdays:
Aug. 12
Sept. 2
Sept. 23
Oct. 14
In 2014, officials canceled the scheduled October pulse release after increased rainfall eliminated the need for the surge.
For more information on Gathright Dam, visit the project page at http://www.nao.usace.army.mil/About/Projects/GathrightMoomaw.aspx.