TVA September Reservoir System Update
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
Posted: 9/2/2010 River NeighborsRain and runoff
The generally dry weather pattern that prevailed across the
Eastern Valley much of the summer eased in August thanks in part to several
days of soaking rain in the middle of the month. Eastern Valley rainfall for
the year totaled 28.06 inches at the end of August, which is 7.7 inches below
normal.
Runoff (the amount of water
that reaches the river system when it rains instead of being absorbed into the
ground) is currently 88 percent of normal in the eastern Valley. Reservoir elevations
Wet weather in mid-August
helped TVA maintain the higher flows needed in late summer for water quality
and other river system benefits while keeping tributary reservoir elevations
near normal. At month’s end, tributary reservoirs also were generally in
balance—that is, the elevations of most reservoirs were about the same in
relation to their balancing guides and flood guides. Watauga was the only
exception. Although TVA conserved as much water in Watauga as possible
throughout the summer, it was still somewhat low relative to other tributary
reservoirs because inflows weren’t sufficient to compensate for the water
released to meet downstream minimum flow requirements and recreation flow
commitments. TVA began a special deep
drawdown on Blue Ridge Reservoir in mid-July. The reservoir is being lowered to
an elevation between 1620 and 1630 feet above sea level as part of a project to
rehabilitate the 79-year-old dam. Get an update on this project below.
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