About the Deviation
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) approved a deviation, January 6, 2025, to temporarily raise the lake level at Kerr Dam, which impounds Lake Hudson on the Grand-Neosho River in Oklahoma. Lake Hudson and Kerr Dam are owned and operated by the Grand River Dam Association (GRDA).
At the request of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and in coordination with the Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA), the Tulsa District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved the deviation, authorizing a controlled increase of the lake level at Kerr Dam (Hudson Lake) on the Grand-Neosho River.
This USACE authorized this deviation to allow GRDA to evaluate the structure's performance following dam safety maintenance. The GRDA is the owner and operator of Lake Hudson.
When the upstream volume of water and inflows are sufficient, Hudson Lake will be allowed to rise to elevation 630.
After reaching elevation 630, the lake will be held at that level to allow GRDA to monitor the reservoir and ensure the project's features perform adequately as determined by GRDA.
If GRDA detects no dam safety concerns, and if the sufficient inflows are available, the lake level will be increased to elevation 633 for enhanced monitoring, and to ensure adequate performance. If flows are not sufficient to allow a lake level increase after observation the lake level will be reduced to the conservation pool and evaluation at 633 will take place at a later date.
When flows are sufficient to support additional lake level increases for observation, and if no concerns are observed at elevation 633, Lake Hudson's elevation will be raised to elevation 636 for additional enhanced observation. The lake will remain at this elevation for three days while GRDA performs enhanced monitoring.
What is a Deviation?
A deviation is a temporary change to the water control plan. The deviation at Lake Hudson (Kerr Dam) was approved to allow GRDA to ensure the structure performs adequately.
If Lake Hudson owns the dam, why is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Involved?
Lake Hudson is categorized as a Section 7 Reservoir under the Flood Control Act of 1944, which requires USACE to coordinate flood control releases from reservoirs owned by other federal and state agencies in accordance with the USACE Water Control Manual.
Additional Kerr Dam and GRDA Information
To learn more about Lake Hudson and the Grand River Dam Authority, visit the GRDA website www.grda.com.