Tennessee Valley Authority
Blue Ridge Dam Rehabilitation Project
Fannin County, Georgia
TVA has prepared a draft environmental assessment (DEA) for a project to meet modern dam safety standards at Blue Ridge Dam. The proposed project 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 require a deep drawdown similar to the drawdowns for dam safety inspection that have been regularly scheduled approximately every five years. TVA would begin slowly drawing down the reservoir between mid-July and early September 2010. The reservoir would be held under elevation 1,630 for approximately six months while upgrades and repairs are conducted. Assuming adequate rainfall, the reservoir would be refilled in late spring to early summer 2011. Veterans Memorial Highway (Old U.S. Highway 76) would be closed throughout the entire project.
Public Involvement
TVA hosted an open-house style public meeting on Thursday, June 18, 2009, at Fannin County Middle School cafeteria to inform the public about the project and to solicit comments on the DEA. Comments were received at the meeting, by mail, fax, and via an online form from June 3 to July 15, 2009. All comments received are being addressed and will be included in a final environmental assessment (FEA) that TVA is preparing. The FEA will be posted on this site when it is completed.
Documents
PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Draft Environmental Assessment (PDF, 1.52 mb)
Contacts
For further information or a copy of the document, contact:
Tina M. Tomaszewski, Senior NEPA Specialist
Tennessee Valley Authority
1101 Market Street, LP 5U
Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801
Fax: 423-751-3230;
TVA Environmental Information Center Phone: 800-882-5263