Watauga
Reservoir
Ecological
health rating
The overall ecological health score for Watauga Reservoir in 2010 was good and matched the historical high score (80), previously recorded in 2004. This was because several indicators concurrently rated at the upper end of their historic range. Additionally, bottom life at the forebay and sediment quality at the mid-reservoir have both exhibited overall improvements in their scores since 2006.
TVA monitors two locations on Watauga Reservoir — the deep, still water near the dam, called the forebay, and the middle part of the reservoir. Monitoring is usually done on a two-year cycle.
Watauga
Reservoir Ecological Health Ratings, 1994-2010
Click chart for raw
data.
The table below
shows the ratings for individual ecological health indicators at Watauga
in 2010. These ratings are briefly explained in the paragraphs that follow.
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Ecological
Health Indicators for
Watauga Reservoir, 2010
|
|
Monitoring
locations
|
Dissolved
oxygen
|
Chlorophyll
|
Fish
|
Bottom
life
|
Sediment
|
| Forebay |
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|
|
|
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| Mid-reservoir |
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|
|
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Dissolved oxygen
Dissolved oxygen rated fair at the forebay and good at the mid-reservoir. Dissolved oxygen typically rates poor at the mid-reservoir, while ratings at the forebay consistently have been good or “high fair.” However, dissolved oxygen rated good at both monitoring locations in 2004, the only other good rating to date at the mid-reservoir.
Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll levels were within the expected range at both monitoring locations and rated good, consistent with most previous years.
Fish
The fish community rated good for the first time at the forebay. The fish community rated “high-fair” at the mid-reservoir location. Species diversity was better at the forebay, but fish catch rates were slightly lower than expected at both locations, with composition dominated by bluegill. In previous years, the fish community has rated fair at the forebay and good or at the upper end of the fair range at the mid-reservoir site.
Bottom life
Bottom life rated fair at both monitoring locations because the benthic communities were dominated by tolerant organisms. Fair ratings are typical for the mid-reservoir. However, prior to 2006, bottom life rated poor at the forebay. Improved (fair) ratings since 2006 have been due to collection of additional organisms.
Sediment
Sediment quality rated good at both monitoring locations. The forebay has received a good rating most years; however, the mid-reservoir first received a good rating in 2006. In prior years, the mid-reservoir site rated fair because sediment samples contained low levels of chlordane, a pesticide previously used to control termites and crop pests.
See definitions of
ecological health indicators and monitoring locations. |
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Fish
consumption advisories
Watauga Reservoir - TVA maintains a program to examine contaminants in fish fillets from TVA reservoirs and their major tributary streams on a rotational basis. The data collected from this program is distributed to the state officials who are responsible for placing or removing fish tissue consumption advisories on those bodies of water. For information on advisories currently in effect for Watauga Reservoir, visit the Water Quality Division of Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation’s web page. http://www.tn.gov/environment/water.shtml
Tennessee Valley Authority
