USACE Vicksburg District begins drawdown of Thatcher Lock and Dam

VICKSBURG, Miss. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District will begin pool draw down at Thatcher Lock and Dam on Nov. 19, 2021, to make repairs to the seal of the hinge crest gate.
The pool at Thatcher Lock and Dam is expected to fall as much as six inches per day, from 77 to 72 feet. The USACE Vicksburg District is working with City of Camden personnel to create a slower draw down from 73 to 72 feet to closely monitor the city’s water supply intake pipes. It is possible that the draw down might have to continue to 71 feet if the inspection cannot be completed at 72 feet.

The inspection of the structure and installation of the poiree needle system will begin by Dec. 3 with completion estimated on Dec. 10. A repair plan will be developed once inspections are complete, and those repairs will begin immediately. The pool will be raised behind the poiree needle system to 74 feet until all repairs are complete.

The USACE Vicksburg District remains vigilant in communicating with partners and stakeholders regarding updates to the progress of Thatcher Lock and Dam repairs.  We’ve been in communication with the Ouachita River Valley Association (ORVA), City of Camden, Arkansas, and Union County Water Conservation Board as well as the Arkansas Game and Fish and Arkansas Natural Resource Commission.  

The public is encouraged to contact local authorities and management officials for updates about conditions in their area and should be cautious while boating upstream of the structure as underwater debris (i.e. trees, pipes, stumps) could become exposed as the pool level falls and become a boating hazard. In addition, you can find pool levels for Thatcher Lock and Dam at https://go.usa.gov/xMJhU.

Completed and put in operation in 1984, Thatcher Lock and Dam creates a navigable pool all the way to Camden Arkansas, a distance of 52 river miles. Thatcher is the northern most lock and dam on the Ouachita River.  

The USACE Vicksburg District is engineering solutions to the nation’s toughest challenges. The Vicksburg District encompasses a 68,000-square-mile area across portions of Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana, that holds nine major river basins and incorporates approximately 460 miles of mainline Mississippi River levees. The Vicksburg District is engaged in hundreds of projects and employs approximately 1,100 personnel.