UPDATE #2 - USACE Vicksburg District Thatcher Lock and Dam public notice

VICKSBURG, Miss. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District continues to monitor river levels near Thatcher Lock and Dam (L&D) following the successful installation of a poiree needle system on Nov. 28. 

A leak in the hinged crest gate required the district to draw the pool elevation down to 72 feet on Nov. 26. Inspections of the hinged crest gate are ongoing and will allow the district to determine a permanent fix.  

The district worked with the City of Camden, Arkansas, and other partners to determine that water around Thatcher Lock and Dam is safe for consumption. No impact to the water supply is expected. 

The pool elevation at the Camden, Arkansas, gauge will reach approximately 74 feet today. The district will maintain that level as the hinged gate inspection continues.

The Vicksburg District remains vigilant in communicating the repair process to partners and stakeholders. The district continues to regularly collaborate 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 & 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.