Emergency officials simulate high-water scenario at Center Hill Dam

LANCASTER, Tenn. (Sept. 25, 2026) – State and local emergency officials gathered at Center Hill Dam this week for a high-water simulation aimed at fine-tuning emergency releases and streamlining public flood warnings. The tabletop exercise, hosted every five years by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District, allows regional stakeholders to synchronize response plans and test operational readiness under the Corps’ Emergency Action Plan. Participants in the Sept. 22 exercise included representatives from USACE, National Weather Service, and Federal Bureau of Investigation. They were joined by emergency directors from the Tennessee Emergency Management Authority (TEMA), representatives from Smith, Wilson, and Trousdale counties, Nashville, and members of the Tennessee Regional Upper Cumberland Healthcare Coalition. “Participants toured the dam, asked questions, and shared information about their roles in a potential dam-safety scenario,” said Maj. Bonny Bradway, Nashville District deputy commander. “Working through this scenario together allowed us to address preparedness, hold meaningful discussions, walk through our response, and identify ways to improve real-time communication.” Throughout the day, participants evaluated inter-agency capabilities and realistic response timelines. Officials reviewed Corps water-management responsibilities, as well as notification protocols used to alert emergency agencies during severe water releases or potential dam emergencies. Simulating the scenario Brad Long, Nashville District’s Dam Safety Program manager, led exercise discussions, provided instructions, and encouraged participants to provide input. The scenario focused on a severe high-water event resulting from 7 inches of rainfall and system-wide impacts that required water managers to hold water in the reservoir. In managing the Cumberland River system of dams, water managers determined during this simulation that the need to release water at Center Hill Dam at a rate of 34,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). The impacts of this scenario meant that water would overtop the channel of the Caney Fork River downstream. Discussions centered around USACE water and emergency management meetings and how state and local emergency managers receive information for preparedness and potential public evacuations, and how USACE uses news releases and social media for public awareness. Participants reviewed the history and purposes of Center Hill Dam. Completed in 1948 for flood control and hydroelectric power, the concrete-gravity and earth-fill structure stands 250 feet high and spans 2,169 feet. It holds back the 415-mile-long Center Hill Lake — providing a massive storage capacity of over 2,000,000 acre-feet. The lake stretches across parts of DeKalb, Putnam, Warren, and White counties and controls runoff from a drainage area of 2,195 square miles. To support flood risk reduction, the dam’s spillway section contains eight radial gates with a maximum discharge capacity of 500,000 cubic feet per second. However, the Nashville District is currently working to replace the spillway gates and associated equipment. The project requires several gates to be placed out of operation during the summer months, factors that were discussed during the tabletop exercise. Austin Auld in Nashville District’s Water Management Section explained how Center Hill Dam is managed as part of a 10-dam system in the Cumberland River Basin. “Center Hill Lake is one of four large storage reservoirs that we use to temporarily hold water until we can safely release it downstream either by spilling or by hydropower generation,” Auld said. “We have to factor in how we are holding or releasing water at the other dams in the Cumberland River Basin system.” Center Hill Dam and Lake function to control the floodwaters of the Caney Fork River and contribute to the reduction of flood levels at municipal, industrial and agricultural areas along the Cumberland, lower Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Mapping the risk During the high-water simulation, Long highlighted a crucial visual tool for the emergency managers: Inundation Maps. Rather than leaving these maps as an afterthought, agencies actively use them to design realistic evacuation routes. These maps feature a colored overlay that highlights how far water is expected to extend beyond normal banks during massive releases or a structural failure. They allow leaders to identify exactly who and what lies in a potential flood path.(Note: The public can view these maps by searching for "Center Hill Dam" on the National Inventory of Dams portal athttps://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fnid.sec.usace.army.miland enabling the "Inundation Layers"). Long also addressed response protocols for a sabotage or human-caused threat scenario. This adversary-driven threat demands an immediate shift in operational tactics, integrating rapid law enforcement intervention, early-detection procedures for structural anomalies, and strict, secure communication protocols. To reinforce this joint response, a representative from the Federal Bureau of Investigation detailed the Bureau's specialized capabilities to support USACE dam incidents. The representative also highlighted how the FBI handles tactical communications and support functions during responses and investigations following a cyber-attack or terrorist action. Building relationships for real emergencies By the conclusion of the tabletop exercise, participants had a much clearer understanding of each agency’s capabilities and response timelines. The feedback submitted will directly inform updates to the Emergency Action Plan, contact lists, and communication objectives. "Through these simulated exercises, we refine our procedures and capture key lessons learned to ensure absolute readiness for any real-world emergency," Long said. "This critical interaction allowed us to build vital informal relationships and establish channels for open communication." Participants also toured Center Hill Dam to familiarize themselves with its layout and hydropower mission—valuable geographic knowledge if a crisis ever strikes. To build on the Corps of Engineers’ partnerships, James LaRosa, service hydrologist with the National Weather Service Nashville Office, provided a briefing covering flood forecasting and partner coordination. He is responsible for monitoring, analyzing, and forecasting river levels, water tables, and flood risks for Middle Tennessee for the NWS. “Most of the time I talk to (USACE) Water Management about upcoming rainfall,” LaRosa said. “The National Weather Service is authorized to issue warnings – tornado warnings, severe thunderstorm warnings, flash flood warnings, blizzard warnings, ice storm warnings – that’s how we are involved with the Dam Safety Program.” The Corps of Engineers coordinates constantly with the National Weather Service, and with other stakeholders during high-water events, communicating adjustments when holding and releasing water, to ensure the NWS has updated information to issue accurate forecasts and warnings. Participants provided valuable feedback to help reduce confusion and to clarify responsibilities, recommendations on communicating during emergencies, and establishing a schedule for notification updates and tests. Stakeholders expressed that quickly releasing important information related to Center Hill Dam to local decision makers is critical to preparedness. Bradway stressed that communication is critically important to the Nashville District and noted that the district appreciates and values the collaboration between state, local and federal partners, which is important for maintaining readiness in support of the Dam Safety Program. “We really appreciate the phenomenal dialogue, especially as it relates to communication,” Bradway said. “I don’t want the conversation to stop here. We typically host these type of events every five years, but it doesn’t mean we can’t communicate in the in-between years.” Emergency preparedness resources for the public Although the purpose of the tabletop exercise did not involve addressing emergency preparedness actions for the public, an excellent and authoritative government resource is FEMA's Ready.gov program, specifically their dedicated resource page on Floods and Dam Safety. The site has step-by-step instructions on making emergency plans, building disaster supply kits, and understanding what to do before, during, and after a flood or dam incident. Federal emergency managers recommend that residents downstream from a dam take the following immediate steps for preparedness:

1. Know Your Risk: Use the National Inventory of Dams portal to locate dams in your area and check if your home or business is in a potential inundation zone.
2. Evacuation Routes: Identify multiple evacuation routes to high ground. Do not rely on a single route, as local roads or bridges may be flooded or blocked.
3. Sign Up for Alerts: Ensure your mobile device is enabled to receive Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) and sign up for your local county or city's emergency notification system.
4. Build a Go-Kit: Maintain a basic disaster supply kit with water, non-perishable food, flashlights, first-aid supplies, and copies of important documents.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Authority’s Dam and Levee Failure Portal is available at https://www.tn.gov/tema/prepare/tennessee-threats/dam-levee-failure.html. The state also recommends citizens download its ReadyTN app that provides Tennesseans with real-time weather alerts, road conditions, open shelter locations, and emergency preparation checklists. The App is available for both iOS and Android devices. The public can obtain news, updates and information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District on the district’s website athttps://www.lrd.usace.army.mil/About/Districts/Nashville-District/, on Facebook athttp://www.facebook.com/nashvillecorpsand on X (formerly Twitter) athttp://www.x.com/nashvillecorps. Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest Nashville District employment and contracting opportunities athttps://www.linkedin.com/company/u-s-army-corps-of-engineers-nashville-district.

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