Reelfoot Lake - Reelfoot Lake Today

Reelfoot Lake Today

Reelfoot is the only large natural lake in Tennessee, and gives its name to Lake County, Tennessee, in which it is located. Until 2003, Reelfoot was the world's only legal commercial fishery for crappie, a species of sunfish, which was served in restaurants near the shore. The area is popular for recreational boating and fishing.

Since 1930, water levels in the lake have been regulated by the construction and operation of a spillway at the southern end where the Running Reelfoot Bayou flows out of it. This structure was controversial when first built, and an abortive attempt was made to blow it up by local residents in 1939. The 80-year-old structure is now regarded as obsolete by both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and there are plans to replace it.

Poor agricultural practices have resulted in siltation of the lake occurring far more rapidly than it should, as it was common practice for cotton and soybeans to be planted up to the water's edge until governmental agencies purchased the entire shoreline and forbade the practice. Siltation is nevertheless accelerated by the local custom of "burning out" the adjacent ditchlines every fall.

In 1999 the Memphis District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) prepared the Reelfoot Lake Tennessee and Kentucky Final Feasibility Report and Final Environmental Impact Statement, September 1999 (EIS) in four volumes. The EIS consisted of a detailed analysis of various plans for addressing problems in the Reelfoot Lake area, including replacement of the spillway.

On February 17, 2006, TDOT submitted a permit application to both the USACE and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) proposing to construct a new spillway, a new spillway channel, and associated bridge (SR 21) over the channel at Reelfoot Lake to replace the existing spillway. An amended permit application was submitted to both agencies on March 30, 2006. A joint public meeting/hearing regarding these permit applications was held by the USACE and TDEC on July 6, 2006 at the Reelfoot Lake Visitor’s Center. Subsequent to the joint public meeting/hearing, TDEC also held two public hearings regarding a required navigation permit for the project. In addition to the permit public meeting/hearing referenced above, TDOT held two public meetings regarding this project, and throughout the spillway replacement and emergency repair projects, TDOT has been actively engaged with the USACE, TDEC, TWRA and USFWS.

The existing spillway is considered structurally deficient and the results of the most recent inspection indicate that the current structure has experienced advanced section loss, deterioration, spalling and scour.

Emergency Repairs

The existing spillway is considered structurally deficient and the results of the most recent inspection indicate that the current structure has experienced advanced section loss, deterioration, spalling and scour. As a result of this most recent inspection, along with public concern about the safety and stability of the present spillway and road embankment, TDOT initiated an emergency repair project to stabilize the existing spillway and road embankment. On May 2, 2007, a contract was awarded to Dement Construction for emergency repairs at the spillway. The contractor drove 64 foot-long steel sheets along the lake side of the spillway to stop water from leaking through the structure. The emergency repair project was completed on September 28, 2007.

Current Construction Project

On May 21, 2008, TDOT received the Notice of Determination, 401 Water Quality Certification and Navigable Waters Permit from TDEC. On August 20, 2008, the USACE issued the Individual Section 404 Permit for the project. On May 7, 2009, TDOT completed the right-of-way acquisition process for the project and obtained a Memorandum of Understanding with TWRA for the construction of the required mitigation site. On June 18, 2009, the Tennessee Department of Transportation accepted Dement Construction Company’s bid of $19,904,421.64 for the construction of the Reelfoot Spillway and Bridge Project. The project is currently on schedule to completed on or before the contract completion date of September 30, 2012.

Reelfoot Lake was the location for three memorable Hollywood movie productions: Raintree County, the 1957 drama about the American Civil War, starring Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift, Eva Marie Saint, and Lee Marvin; the 1967 Oscar-winner, In the Heat of the Night, starring Sidney Poitier and Best Actor Rod Steiger; and U.S. Marshals, the 1998 action thriller, starting Tommy Lee Jones and Wesley Snipes.