Managing Historic Properties in Drawdown Zones at Corps of Engineers Reservoirs: Three Case Studies.

Abstract : This report attempts to identify techniques for the effective management of historic properties (National Register eligible) which are annually subjected to impacts from reservoir drawdowns. Much of the discussion focuses on three case studies which were conducted at three Ohio River Division reservoirs during the winter drawdown period of 1996. The Corps reservoirs included Barren River Lake, Kentucky (Louisville District); Bluestone Lake, West Virginia (Huntington District); and Allegheny Reservoir, Pennsylvania and New York (Pittsburgh District). Management techniques observed at the nine Corps projects visited in 1995 are also discussed. Additional information on proposed management techniques has been incorporated from sponsored research now under way at the U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station for other Corps Districts. Site evaluation strategies, cultural resources monitoring plans, the mitigation of adverse effect through the combined use of archaeological data recovery and site protection, the direct and indirect control of vandalism, and the preparation of drawdown zone protection plans are some of the major topics addressed.