Tennessee Valley Authority
TVA Installs Warning System at Ocoee No. 1 Dam
September 3, 2010
BENTON, Tenn. – The Tennessee Valley Authority has installed a new safety warning system at Ocoee No. 1 hydroelectric plant in Polk County, Tenn., to improve public safety during water releases from the dam.
The Ocoee No. 1 warning system, scheduled to begin operating Sept. 13, includes signs, warning horns and strobe lights to alert the public to water discharges through the dam that will cause a rapid rise in water levels.
“The horns and strobe lights will be automatically activated prior to water level changes as a safety warning to the public,” said TVA Senior Vice President of River Operations John McCormick. “When the horns and strobe lights are activated, anglers and the public should quickly move to safe areas.”
The warning system will activate two minutes before the hydroelectric plant begins generating power.
For more information about avoiding the dangers surrounding dams, locks, and powerhouses go to: http://www.tva.com/river/hazwater/.
The Tennessee Valley Authority, a corporation owned by the U.S. government, provides electricity for utility and business customers in most of Tennessee and parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia – an area of 80,000 square miles with a population of 9 million. TVA operates 29 hydroelectric dams, 11 coal-fired power plants, three nuclear plants and 11 natural gas-fired power facilities and supplies up to 33,700 megawatts of electricity, delivered over 16,000 miles of high-voltage power lines. TVA also provides flood control, navigation, land management and recreation for the Tennessee River system and works with local utilities and state and local governments to promote economic development across the region. TVA, which makes no profits and receives no taxpayer money, is funded by sales of electricity to its customers. Electricity prices in TVA’s service territory are below the national average.
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