By Marcia Barnes
Staff Writer
The Tennessee River Authority received more than 1,700 responses during the period open to the public to comment on TVA’s proposed safety modifications to the Chatuge Dam spillway. The period ended May 28 with most of the comments coming from North Carolina and Georgia. TVA will continue to process comments postmarked by May 28 through the United States Postal Service.
In April, TVA announced five modification alternatives to insure future safety of Chatuge Dam and began public and virtual meetings to engage the public and gather input on the proposals. A TVA Open House was held in Hayesville on May 8 and a second open house was held in Young Harris, Ga. on May 13. The combined attendance at the in-person meetings was nearly 500 participants. More than 1,200 individuals took part in two virtual open houses held in May.
To date, the public has provided more than 1,700 comments as part of the National Environmental Policy Act and TVA anticipates publishing a Scoping Report in Fall 2025. The report will summarize public and agency comments and TVA’s planned scope.
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement’s expected release is late 2025 when the public will have 45 days to provide comments on the document content and findings. The TVA plans to have additional in-person open house meetings. Open house dates, times and locations will be announced by the media and posted on the project website.
The Chatuge landscape as seen in a recent newsletter from the dam safety study page said, “83 years ago, people here felt their lives were disrupted by the rising of the water. Now, as TVA prepares to repair the dam’s spillway, a new generation feels the same about the water subsiding during the years-long work.
“As the manufacturing jobs that sustained the area dried up, tourism replaced the old industries. People came up from Atlanta and down from Asheville. The lake has become the area’s lifeblood.”
In light that TVA’s Dam Safety team sees public safety as a No. 1 priority, the rare storm event last fall, Hurricane Helene, sent teams to work along the river banks of the Nolichucky and the rock walls below the Nolichucky Dam after the historic flooding.
The study has shown all is well at Nolichucky Dam, but the data will be shared widely to ensure the valley region has access to information that bolsters dam safety.