TVA plans to begin drawing down Blue Ridge Lake in Fannin County in mid-July in order to rehabilitate the dam. Property owners along the popular destination, along with tourist businesses, had asked that the drawdown be delayed until September, but TVA officials said in the Environmental Assessment for the project that the mid-July date is needed to have the lake filled again by May of 2011. Otherwise, they said, the entire 2011 season could be lost, depending on weather conditions. In answering comments, TVA noted “the choice is between impacting part of the 2010 lake use season or increasing risk of complete elimination of the 2011 lake use season.”

Officials noted that the drawdown will be done over 16 weeks, so the full impact would not be felt immediately. Employment at the site during the drawdown period would have a small positive impact on the local economy, according to the EA, which added any negative impacts on the local economy due to the drawdown would largely occur late in the boating season and therefore would be relatively small.

The good news, according to the EA, is that it will no longer be necessary to draw the lake down every five years, as has been needed for inspection of the penstock.

TVA said the drawdown will not affect water releases for Ocoee River rafting as the agency will meet its commitments for water releases, contingent upon availability of water resulting from precipitation. TVA has also committed to communication and coordination with the Fisheries Management Section of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to reduce adverse temperature impacts on the Toccoa trout fishery to the extent practicable.

The penstock on Blue Ridge Dam was damaged due to excessive water pressure in 1931.  TVA, which acquired the dam from Tennessee Electric Power Company in 1939, has periodically lowered the water elevation to inspect the penstock safely.

TVA’s plan is to repair the penstock, repair and stabilize the upstream face of the dam, stabilize the intake tower base, and stabilize the downstream face of the dam.  These repairs would begin during the regularly scheduled deep drawdown for dam safety inspection, which would normally begin in summer 2010. Repair of the penstock would require that Blue Ridge Reservoir be maintained at an elevation ranging from about 1,620 to 1,630 feet above mean sea level for approximately six months, or about  68 feet lower than the normal summer elevation. Safe operation of the dam would require the drawdown to occur slowly over a three- to four-month period.  Returning the reservoir to summer pool levels in 2011 would also occur slowly over a four- to five-month period depending on rainfall.

If nothing is done, TVA would have to continue the five-year drawdown for inspection. In addition, there would be an increased risk that the intake tower could overturn during a seismic event.  If the intake tower overturned, this would interfere with water flow through the penstock, potentially resulting in an uncontrolled release of water from the reservoir.

TVA notes that, based on analyses of more than 100 years of hydrologic data, by starting the deep drawdown in mid-July 2010, Blue Ridge Reservoir recreational boating capacity would gradually drop by 39 percent in the weeks leading up to Labor Day 2010, but would be recovered to 70 percent of recreational boating capacity by Memorial Day 2011.

The Environmental Assessment and TVA’s preferred alternative decision were released in December. The documents are available online at www.tva.gov