Navigation Conditions at Robert S. Kerr Lock and Dam Arkansas River. Hydraulic Model Investigation.

The Robert S. Kerr Lock and Dam, proposed for construction on the Arkansas River about 395 miles above the junction of the Mississippi and White Rivers, will provide a navigable pool for 37 miles upstream to Webbers Falls Lock and Dam. The project comprises a nonnavigable gated dam with eighteen 50-ft-wide by 44-ft-high tainter gates, a 110- by 600-ft lock on the left bank with a maximum lift of 48 ft, and a four-unit powerhouse with a 110,000-kw generating capacity on the right bank. A 1:120-scale, fixed-bed model, reproducing approximately 3.3 miles of the Arkansas River, was used to determine flood stages at the dam, navigation conditions in the lock approaches, and tendencies for sediment deposition in the lower lock approach, and to develop modifications required to provide satisfactory navigation conditions. The investigation has resulted in the development of modifications in the original design required to produce satisfactory navigation conditions in the approaches to the lock. (Author)