Dam release to raise Jackson, James rivers

An effort to flush the Jackson River of algae and improve water quality will raise the Jackson's level by up to 5 feet and raise the upper James River by up to 3 feet Tuesday morning.

The Army Corps of Engineers has announced it will conduct a "pulse release" from Gathright Dam beginning at 6 a.m. Tuesday. The release will peak at 3,500 cubic feet per second by 9 a.m. It will return to 250 cubic feet per second by 2 p.m. People using the river should be aware of the river level fluctuations, according to a news release from the corps.

Three other releases are scheduled over the next two months, on Sept. 3 and 24, and Oct. 15.

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