HEAVY RAIN AT THURLOW

New Thurlow gates put to the test

Story by Carmen Rodgers & Photo by Audra Spears

ater levels at Thurlow Reservoir are back to normal after an abundance of rainfall inundated the watershed over the last month. The three newly installed Obermeyer gates allowed the recent rainwater to freely flow over Thurlow Dam.

The dam spillway gates were replaced over the summer, and construction wrapped up in Oct. 2019. According to Alabama Power officials, the new Obermeyer gates are constructed of steel, and the system is more efficient than the old 36-gate flashboard structure. The Obermeyer gates use adjustable, inflatable bladders to control the gates and more accurately manage water resources.

The original spillway gates were installed in the ’20s. Alabama Power worked with the Alabama HistoriW

cal Commission and the University of Alabama to research Thurlow Dam when designing the new gates. The latest design features only four spans that operate independently across the top of the dam and resemble the historical look of the original dam.

Thurlow Reservoir water levels are currently at 288 feet with the dam generating an outflow of 11,672 cubic feet per second.

The dam was built on the site of an early 19th-century textile mill that was used during the Civil War as a uniform and ammunition plant. Named in honor of Oscar G. Thurlow, a chief engineer, vice president and director of Alabama Power Company, Thurlow Dam has been in service since 1930.

Decades ago, locals promoted Thurlow Dam as the “Niagara of the South” for the way the Tallapoosa River spills over the dam when all the gates are open.