Duck River Reservoir set to open for recreational use July 17; pipeline ahead of schedule
W. C. Mann • July 7, 2018
The pipeline route runs along the north side of U.S. Highway 278 (left side in this photo) through Oak Level, then angles through the woods toward the reservoir and dam, visible at top.
CULLMAN
– On Tuesday, July 17, the Utilities Board of the City of Cullman will officially open the Duck River Reservoir to recreational activities, including boating and fishing.
Utilities Board Manager Mike Manning told The Tribune that 22 miles of trails around the reservoir will officially open, and that the reservoir itself will be open for pier fishing and to boats and watercraft of 25 horsepower or less.
Duck River Reservoir Manager Tim Scott said that the lake is stocked with Florida Bass and Alabama Bass, which are also known as Spotted Bass. The two populations are being monitored and DNA tested and are expected to cross breed. Other fish have been introduced, as well. The reservoir stock includes (including current fishing limits):
- Florida and Alabama Bass – catch and release only
- Bluegill and Redear Bream – maximum 20 fish of any size
- Black Crappie – maximum 30 fish which must be 9 inches or longer
- Channel Catfish – no limit. This is a young population that is considered not large enough to catch, yet.
- Scott insisted that, because the lake and its fish populations are still maturing, fishing limits will be strictly enforced.
Reservoir recreation areas
According to a 2013 plan prepared for the Utilities Board by St. John & Associates, “The landscape surrounding the proposed Duck River Reservoir is comprised of rolling hills that are deeply incised by streams with exposed sandstone cliffs. Land above the reservoir is largely farmland and forest with moderate to steep slopes in the range of 20 percent to 30 percent near the full pool water elevation. Acquired property downstream of the proposed dam features steep, deeply shadowed cliffs and a broad bend in the river surrounding mixed forest and meadow land cover. This rich physical geography and varied landscape result in a scenic setting for the proposed Recreation Area and many potential uses that do not conflict with the overall water supply purpose of the reservoir. Recreation use of the property is proposed to be focused at three primary areas linked by a multiuse pedestrian and bike trail.”
Also from the plan, the areas are:
- Downriver Use Area – “Natural river and canyon landscape downstream of Duck River dam. Uses include environmental education, wheelchair accessible pedestrian access, wildlife observation, outdoor recreation and hiking.”
- Henderson Branch Landing – “Existing cleared meadow and abandoned road bed North of Henderson Branch and adjacent to proposed Duck River Reservoir. Uses include boating, wheelchair accessible pedestrian access and shore fishing, primitive camping, and hiking.” This area will be the primary access point for visitors with boats and other allowed watercraft, with parking provided for cars and boat trailers. According to the plan, “The proposed boat launch features concrete construction and an ADA-compliant courtesy pier for boarding. A wheelchair accessible paved trail meeting ADA standards will lead from handicapped parking to a pedestrian crossing of the reservoir at County Road 1651. This pedestrian crossing will be sized to allow wheelchair accessible fishing while providing room for users of the multi-use trail to cross the reservoir.”
- North Boat Launch – Located at the western terminus of County Road 1651 at the reservoir. “This area is expected to be a secondary access point for boaters due to the limited area available for parking and longer travel distance from US HWY 278.”
- The plan also described the multi-use trail:
“A pedestrian and bike trail is proposed to encircle the reservoir and link the recreation use areas. Trail construction would utilize native materials exclusively and follow sustainable International Mountain Bicycling Association and Appalachian Trail Conservancy guidelines that minimize erosion and required trail maintenance. The trail would be constructed so that clearing of trees will be minimized, and no powered vehicle or equine use of the trails will be permitted. Two prefabricated pedestrian footbridges are proposed to be installed along the trail: one crossing the reservoir at the northern extent of the trail near County Road 1669 and the second crossing Duck River within the Downriver Use Area.”
St. John & Associates’ plan included provisions for picnic pavilions, primitive camping sites and interpretive signage along trails. According to Manning, these are possible future developments not included in the current stage of development.
Said Manning, “The original recreation plan that had been submitted to the Corps of Engineers had everything that we could possibly or may possibly do within the restricted area ever, really, because it’s a complicated process to get all that approved by the Corps. And so, some of those things may or may not be added as time goes by, but the reservoir and trails are what will be open at this time.”
Pipeline project ahead of schedule
The Tribune toured the route of the Duck River Reservoir pipeline by air and road, and since then has been speaking to people involved in various portions of the project for an update on progress.
St. John & Associates project engineer Wes Dawsey talked about the pipeline:
“The pipeline is about 68 percent complete and, as far as the schedule goes, we are about 270 days elapsed on the schedule. And it’s supposed to be complete in November–mid-November–so we’re actually a little bit ahead of schedule.
“It’s going pretty smoothly. We’re ahead of schedule, under budget, contractors doing a good job. Hopefully, we’ll continue that way for the next three or four months, and then we’ll be finished.”
According to Dawsey, construction has not been straight through from the water plant to the reservoir. During the wet past winter, crews worked in the driest areas, then, with the onset of warm weather, have gone back to fill in the gaps.
The pipeline project will end at County Road 1640 on the western side of the Duck River Dam, where a separate project will construct a pumping station to move water from the reservoir via the intake tower just north of the dam.
From County Road 1640, the route of the pipeline runs to the southwest where it reaches U.S. Highway 278 in the Oak Level community, near the intersection of the highway and County Roads 781 and 1635. At that point the most visible evidence of the pipeline project can be seen along the north side of U.S. Highway 278, where construction crews are currently laying pipe. The line crosses south of the highway before reaching Berlin, where a stretch of County Road 735 got freshly repaved after pipe was laid beneath it. From there, it works its way to the south side of the water plant.
When complete, the pipeline will be capable of transporting 24 million gallons of water per day, matching the approximate existing flow rate at the plant.
At normal rates, the reservoir pipeline will double the amount of water available to the city water plant. According to Dawsey, this will not double the amount of water coming out of the plant to the city but will act as a backup to the existing system.
Said Dawsey, “The plant will only treat so much water, so you really can’t double the volume coming through it. But what it gives you is a completely redundant source of water, so if you had something happen to the pump station at Catoma–one of the pumps go down and need to be rehabilitated–you could then feed from Duck River to completely run the plant. Or, you know, the real concern is drought . . . now you’ve got another alternate source. You could take half the water from Duck River and half from Catoma, and it would last that much longer.”
Pump station going to bid
The pump station, which will be located on the southwest (downriver) side of the dam and will move water from the reservoir to the water plant via the pipeline, will go to bid soon. According to Manning, construction is expected to take up to a year after that. Water is expected to begin flowing sometime in the latter part of 2019.
Duck River Dam lawsuit still pending
In 2017, after the Duck River Dam was found to be leaking well beyond allowable limits into the dam’s gallery where electronic equipment is housed, the City began investigating the cause. ASI Constructors, Inc., who built the dam, blamed the leakage on a faulty design, while designer CH2M Hill Engineers, Inc. blamed faulty construction. Cullman filed suit against both, not to seek a financial settlement, but to determine the responsible party and make them cover the repairs.
According to Cullman Economic Development Agency Director Dale Greer, the City is still awaiting a judge’s ruling in the case.
For more on the lawsuit, see our previous story at www.cullmantribune.com/articles/2017/07/28/cullman-utilities-board-files-suit-against-duck-river-dam-engineers-construction.
For an earlier update and general overview of the reservoir and dam projects, including a link to the original St. John & Associates recreational use plan, see our story at: www.cullmantribune.com/articles/2017/08/08/deeper-dive-duck-river-dam.
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GARDEN CITY, AL —The Town of Garden City’s long-awaited plan to upgrade and extend its water system into Blount County is closer to fruition with the town securing more than $1 million in federal grant money to fund the project. Mayor Tim Eskew said the town has been working toward extending the water system across the Mulberry River for several years. On Monday, April 15, the town entered into a contract with St. John and Associates to design and engineer the project. The Garden City Volunteer Fire Department already provides service to a small portion of Blount County, but the lack of an adequate water supply on the other side of the county line made that task more difficult. “Right now, they don’t have any fire hydrants over there and this will give us at least two,” he said. St. John and Associates engineer David Haynes said current plans for the project would upgrade the existing water system and extend the service nearly a half-mile across the river and is estimated to cost roughly $1.2 million. The town had previously received notice from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management that it had been awarded $657,860 in unspent American Rescue Plan Act funds available for eligible programs which improve drinking water and sewer infrastructure throughout the state. Congressman Robert Aderholt’s (R-Alabama) office informed the town in January it would be receiving the additional funds in the form of a $520,000 State and Tribal Assistance Grant, administered through the Environmental Protection Agency. The grant was included in the FY2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act which Aderholt voted against. An estimated start date was not available, but all ARPA funds are required to be expended no later than December 31, 2026. A public hearing to allow residents to weigh in on the project is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., May 20, at Garden City Town Hall.
CULLMAN, Ala. – The Cullman City Council on Monday evening approved supplemental engineering services for the city’s new Sports and Civic Complex, to be performed by St. John and Associates. The contract modifications are for both the complex itself and a new parking lot to accompany the complex. According to Councilman Johnny Cook, the complex, originally slated for the old Marvin’s on Main Avenue between Heritage Park and the Cullman Wellness and Aquatic Center, will be relocated to an undeveloped site between the Aquatic Center and the Donald Green Active Adult Center. The new parking lot addressed in Monday’s resolution will be for the complex and will open onto Field of Miracles Drive. The council also passed a resolution to authorize Mayor Woody Jacobs to apply for Consolidated Rail Infrastructure (CRISI) grant funds for improvements to the railroad crossings at 9th Street Southeast, 8th Street Northwest and Arnold Street rail crossings, all crossings in downtown Cullman without viaducts. The city seeks funds in the amount of $546,676.20 to construct “improvements to the 9th Street SE, 8th Street NW, and Arnold Street Rail Crossings which will provide supplemental safety measures and improvements in the form of additional gates for access control, electrical upgrades and warn time upgrades.” The city will provide a local match of $234,289.80 of the total project cost in support of this project.
CULLMAN — The Cullman City Council on Monday evening received a good report from Cullman City School Superintendent Dr. Kyle Kalhoff and responded with some good news of its own for the system’s chief educator. Kalhoff reported that: The system will bid out projects at Cullman City Primary School and Cullman Middle School in December and open bids in January and February. A new gym floor has been installed at Cullman High School, and the gym’s bleacher project should be completed before the start of the season in November. The high school softball field should be re-turfed before the team’s first game in February. The central office is receiving security upgrades. Kalhoff reported that the system recently partnered with Wallace State Community College to offer a career exploration event for students and parents. The superintendent said that he hopes to ensure that: The system’s career tech program align with area workforce needs. The middle school offers an exploratory program corresponding to each of the high school’s career tech programs. Students in each high school career tech program have an opportunity for dual enrollment at Wallace State. Kalhoff also shared the results of Cullman’s performance in the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program, which assesses language, arts and math in grades 2-8 and science in grades 4, 6 and 8. The system scored: In the top 15 in all categories Third in 6th grade English Language Arts Sixth in 8th grade English Language Arts Fifth in 8th grade Science Kalhoff reported, “Our administrators, instructional coaches and teachers are working relentlessly to move forward in all categories to achieve our goal of being in the top five in everything we do.” Following the superintendent’s report, Mayor Woody Jacobs and the council presented Kalhoff a check for $600,000, the first payment in a 10-year, $6,000,000 city commitment to the system. The money will help fund numerous construction and improvement projects among the city schools. Other council business The council approved an agreement with MXI Environmental Services LLC for the disposal of household hazardous waste materials. The city will hold a hazardous waste disposal event for the public from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. on Nov. 13, 2021 at Heritage Park. The council also approved the following resolutions: No. 2022-04 to enter into contract with St. John & Associates for design and engineering services for Streetscape Improvements on Second Avenue NE from Arnold Street to Clark Street. No. 2022-05 to enter into a contract with St. John & Associates for engineering services for the sewer collection improvements program for screen refurbishment at the South Pump Station. No. 2022-06 to amend the professional services contract with Cohen, Carnaggio & Reynolds Inc. due to an increased scope of work for the Civic Center Complex project. The civic center design was expanded from 101,000 square feet to 125,000 square feet. No. 2022-07 to award a bid for a crew cab flatbed truck to Eckenrod Ford in the amount of $43,503.00. No. 2022-08 to award a bid for black and gray pipe to Bear Concrete Products, the lowest responsible bidder. No. 2022-09 to amend the Cullman Fire and Rescue Fair Labor Standards Act Work Cycle Policy. The council voted to rezone property owned by Shelby Hankey located at 101 Main Ave. from R-4 Residential District to CBD Central Business District, to annex property owned by Sherry Rutherford located at 1240 County Road 1422 as a residential district and to annex properties owned by G.A.P. Properties LLC., located on County Road 770 as a residential district. The council also suspended its regular rules of procedure to pass on its first reading an ordinance to adopt Emily’s Law regarding dangerous or vicious animals, updating its existing policy to current standards. Special events ahead The council approved special event permits for: Keith Varden of the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce for Christmas Open House in the Warehouse District on Nov. 12-14, 2021. Andy Palys of the Cullman County Wranglers Club for a trunk or treat in Depot Park on Friday, Oct. 29, 2021 from 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. The Cullman City Council meets at 7:00 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of each month in the City Hall auditorium. The public is invited to attend.
