Pickwick Reservoir

Ecological health rating

TVA monitored Pickwick Reservoir annually from 1991 through 1994 to establish baseline data on the reservoir’s ecological health under a range of weather and flow conditions. Pickwick is now evaluated every other year.

The overall ecological condition in Pickwick Reservoir rated good in 2006. Pickwick has scored about the same every year — either “high fair” or good — depending primarily on chlorophyll concentrations, which are affected by reservoir flows, and conditions in the Bear Creek embayment, which generally rates lower than at other monitoring locations on the reservoir. The inflow rating, which is based on fish and bottom life, was highest in 2004 and contributed to the overall higher score for the reservoir that year.

Pickwick Reservoir Ecological Health Ratings, 1994-2006

Click chart for raw data.

The table below shows the ratings for individual ecological health indicators at Pickwick in 2006. These ratings are briefly explained in the paragraphs that follow.

Monitoring locations	Dissolved oxygen	Chlorophyll	Fish	Bottom life	Sediment
Ecological Health Indicators for Pickwick Reservoir, 2006
Forebay	Good	Poor	Fair	Good	Good
Mid-reservoir	Good	Good	Fair	Good	Good
Bear Creek embayment	Good	Poor	Good	Fair	Good
Inflow (near Wilson Dam)			Good	Good
Dissolved oxygen Similar to previous years, dissolved oxygen rated good at all monitoring locations. Chlorophyll Chlorophyll rated good at the mid-reservoir and poor at the forebay and embayment locations. These were the only poor ratings for the reservoir in 2006. Fish The fish community rated fair at the forebay and mid-reservoir and good at the inflow and Bear Creek embayment monitoring locations. This is consistent with previous monitoring results. Fish community ratings have fluctuated between good and “high fair” ratings at all locations. Bottom life Similar to previous years, the bottom life rated fair or good at all monitoring locations. Sediment Sediment samples collected from the reservoir bottom were free of pesticides and PCBs, and concentrations of metals were within expected background levels, resulting in good ratings for sediment quality at all monitoring locations. See definitions of ecological health indicators and monitoring locations.

Fish consumption advisories

There are no fish consumption advisories on Pickwick Reservoir. TVA collected channel catfish and largemouth bass from the reservoir for tissue analysis in the autumn of 2006. All contaminant levels were either below detectable levels or below the levels used by state agencies to issue fish consumption advisories. TVA will analyze fish from Pickwick again in the autumn of 2010.