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USACE-recreation
"PL 97-137, passed by the U.S. Congress in 1982, designated the fossil beds and falls area as 'The Falls of the Ohio National Wildlife Conservation Area.'" |
In the 981-mile length of the Ohio River, there is only one place where it flows over bedrock, the Falls of the Ohio. The rock here is an ancient Devonian Reef [
nkytribune] and it is full of fossils. In this staircase diagram of the Ohio River where the vertical scale is exaggerated, you can clearly see the significant drop of the river bed near Louisville.
The Falls of the Ohio is one of the largest naturally exposed Devonian Fossil Beds in the world. The “Falls” is in fact not one waterfall, but a series of rapids, which prior to construction of the various locks and dams, dropped 26 feet in about 3 miles, forming a series of rapids, waterfalls, and chutes. Now, the drop in elevation occurs entirely at the lock and dam structures. The normal upper and lower water levels are 37 feet apart; the normal upper pool elevation is 420 feet above mean sea level and the lower pool is 383 feet above mean sea level. The area has a rich cultural and natural history. The area was used as a crossing point for animals, and as a hunting area for Native Americans. More than 260 bird species have been sighted at the Falls, and a wide variety of other wildlife is present. In the river’s natural state, boats could traverse the falls during periods of high water only, so the area became a stopping point while goods were unloaded and portaged, thus creating the towns of Louisville, Clarksville and Jeffersonville. When there was enough water, boats could attempt to run one of three chutes, or passages through the Falls, but this required expertise and boats often wrecked during the attempt. In 1830, the 1.9 mile privately owned and operated Portland Canal with a 3 flight lock at the lower end was finished. By 1930, a new concrete and steel dam was built in conjunction with a hydroelectric plant project of the LG&E company. The dam was constructed in an “L” shape, extending from the Indiana shore and gave the Falls area its present look. See the webpage for McAlpine Locks and Dam for more history on the locks and dam. [Their link is broken. Try this one.] [USACE-recreation, expand the History heading]
I would call the Dam a Z shape. I marked up a satellite image to show the powerhouse and downstream control gates (red), the 2-mile fixed weir (orange), and the upstream control gates (blue).
This Z configuration is expensive because of the 2-mile fixed weir, but the two sets of control gates allow the USACE to emulate traditional summer-time flows (low) over the rapids by closing the five upstream gates and using the hydroelectric plant and the four lower gates to control the upper-pool depth. During the Spring and Fall wet seasons, it can give the upper gates priority to be open to maintain a strong flow across the rapids. This seasonal variance of the river flow helps preserve the wildlife that was established when the level of the river naturally varied significantly during the year. And it allows fossil viewing during the dry season.
See
Louisville & Indiana/CSX/Pennsy Bridge for more photos of the upstream control structure.
2 of 3 photos
posted by Jake Silverdale with the comment: "Flying over McAlpine Lock and Dam on the Ohio River near Louisville. A little hard to see but 2 lock chambers 110’ wide 1200’ long."
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Looking upsream:
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Louisville Tourism posted
Happy #NationalFossilDay! Located just across the river in Clarksville, IN, the Falls of the Ohio State Park features a 390 million-year-old Silurian and Devonian coral community, which represents the world’s largest exposed Devonian Period fossil beds. 🪸 Discover the area for yourself this weekend with a series of special hikes, an interpretive museum, and other family-friendly activities. 🥾 📸: @ColinStoufferPhoto | #LouisvilleLove |
This is the north end of the control structure. I never realized before that it was a fixed spillway. The Ohio River has to be high for water to come over that.
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Cedric James Amos commmented on the above post
Was there a couple of days ago, the views a lot better on the ground and near the water. |
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Cedric James Amos commmented on the above post
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Standing on
the visitor's center viewing platform, I took a sequence of three photos from upstream (Southeast) to downstream (Northwest) to catch the weir wall and rapids.
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| Gimp brightness +35, contrast +10 |
This view is looking at the upstream control structure from the path to the
wheelchair accessible viewing platform.
Since there were people down by, and in, the river, I decided I should be able to get down there also.
But first I had to work my way over the debris field.
And then find a path over the rocks that did not require crossing deep crevasses. (This picture is taken looking down.)
This was as close to the river as I was willing to get.
But it was far enough out into the river bed to let me get a good view of the five Tainter gates (below). Note the water turbulence around the through-truss pier. It is a good thing it is built on rock. Even so, it is amazing that it has been able to avoid scouring after decades of turbulent flow around it. It does look like they have sheathed the base with a protective layer of concrete.
On the way back, I took an overview picture. Note that the dark rock in the foreground is significantly higher than the white rock below. And we can see another one of the crevasses in the upper layer. Most of the edge of the dark rock was a sharp drop off. That was part of the challenge of finding a path down to the white rock.
I didn't discover this ramp back to the parking lot until I went back up to the center. I came down the river bluff from the center using those stair steps peaking through the trees on the left. And I see now that I probably should have gone upstream from the base of those steps rather than the downstream path I took. The balcony of the interpretation center has a series of interpretive signs. They cover the topics of the Fossil Beds, Birds, Wildlife Conservation, and River Navigation.
The view below shows that the river is close to the visitation center when the river is high. That is, all of the foreground in the above photo is under water when the river is high.
High Water Images
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Photo by Joe Virruso via Bridge Hunter
[Note that the Tainter gates are raised all the way and are practically parallel to the surface of the water.] |
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Bill Kalkman posted
In this view from the shoreline of the Ohio River, below the Falls of the Ohio Interpretive Center, your looking at the Louisville & Indiana Railroad's crossing of the river from Clarksville to Louisville. 6:52PM on 5-23-18 in Clarksville, IN. |
Note how
one photo taken by Andrew Raker in April, 2014, shows the lower pool at an intermediate level, but another photo by Andrew that same month shows the
lower pool at a high level. And it was even higher
in May, 2014.
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Birds-Eye View
[In this view, you can see the Tainter gates are completely open. And the river is high enough that it is almost covering the dam walls.] |
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| From the Wildlife Conservation sign |
Low Water Images
Bridge Hunter photos taken by James Adorno in June, 2005; Robert Thompson in July, 2005; Ed Hollowell in July, 2005; and Andrew Raker in September, and December of 2013, in August, 2011, in September, 2009, in June, July, August and October of 2008, and in September, 2007.
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From the Wildlife Conservation sign
[This picture taught me that they can create a low flow over the fossil beds during the Summer even if the river has a high flow by shutting the upper gates and opening the lower gates.] |
In fact, Google Map captures that scenario.
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| Satellite, the upper gates are almost closed and the base of the dam wall is exposed |
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| Satellite, while all of the lower gates are open |
Bing's aerial view shows the case where both the upper and lower gates are partially open.
Some photos from an
Album:
Rob Stone
posted three photos with the comment: "Louisville Kentucky "
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I'm trying to figure out why three of the bays have a "bar" across the top but the other two don't. The "bars" don't look tall enough to be emergency bulkheads.
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J.B. Rail Photog posted
10/06/2021 - CSX Q688-06 crossing the Ohio River across the 14th Street Bridge northbound with the Louisville skyline towering in the background as this one unit wonder 3194 leading this daily train that goes from the CSX Osborn Yard in Louisville, KY, to the CSX Avon Yard in Indianapolis, IN.
Dennis DeBruler: That is also a fantastic view of the control works of the McAlpine Dam.
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J.B. Rail Photog posted
10/06/2021 - Back late last year CSX Pride in Service LEO painted unit 3194 was floating all around the area for many weeks. Here is another shot I haven't posted as it leads Q688-06 crossing the Ohio River out of Louisville, KY, northbound on the LIRC. In the shot also is a UPS Boeing 747 in the landing path approaching SDF and the huge hub UPS Worldport.
[There is hardly any water in the river bed.] |
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J.B. Rail Photog posted
06/01/2022 - A side view of CSX Q352-31 crossing the 14th Street Bridge into Clarksville, IN, with CSX SD40-2 8017 leading Union Pacific 2002 which was used to carry the torch for the Olympics that took place in Salt Lake City, UT, in Winter of 2002. |
Eleven barges allided with the lower dam in Apr 2023
Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet posted three photos with the comment:
Our Emergency Response Team (ERT) is currently responding to a barge incident which occurred this morning on the Ohio River in Louisville. The incident involves 11 barges, 10 of which are loose from the tug. One barge carrying approximately 1400 tons of methanol has become lodged at the McAlpine Dam and is partially submerged. U.S. Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) are working with our team, as well as local emergency officials. Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet's ERT has dispatched a boat team to assist with downstream assessment and water quality monitoring. The nearest municipal water intake downstream is in Henderson, KY.
Chuck Griffis: Methanol is very toxic to ingest, but also looses potency, has infinite solubility and dilutes quickly in water. It has a short half life In surface water and very rapidly evaporates on dry surfaces. The levels of methanol should be extremely low in a short amount of time. This is definitely not some like oil, gasoline, or like the chemicals that were released in the recent train derailment.
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Talk about a high river level. It looks like the downstream side is almost higher than the normal upstream river level.
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This video shows that three of the four Tainter gates are all the way open. The resulting flow shoved the barges up against those openings. I wonder how many of the 10 barges went through the dam. Having to chase and snag barges in this swift current must be a real challenge.
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10:42 video by a professional shipping commentator concerning the barge accident
Apr 4, 2023:
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15:58 video @ 4:44
The photo before this one shows the pumping of the off loading of the methanol. But I thought this one was interesting because of all of the cranes that they have already staged on site. At 7:58, he does a general discussion about the Ohio River and the dam. |
Apr 8, 2023:
0:34 video reporting that the methanol barge has been removed.
Since there were people down by, and in, the river, I decided I should be able to get down there also.
And then find a path over the rocks that did not require crossing deep crevasses. (This picture is taken looking down.)
This was as close to the river as I was willing to get.
On the way back, I took an overview picture. Note that the dark rock in the foreground is significantly higher than the white rock below. And we can see another one of the crevasses in the upper layer. Most of the edge of the dark rock was a sharp drop off. That was part of the challenge of finding a path down to the white rock.
I didn't discover this ramp back to the parking lot until I went back up to the center. I came down the river bluff from the center using those stair steps peaking through the trees on the left. And I see now that I probably should have gone upstream from the base of those steps rather than the downstream path I took. The balcony of the interpretation center has a series of interpretive signs. They cover the topics of the Fossil Beds, Birds, Wildlife Conservation, and River Navigation.
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