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Boone Dam Progress Update: Multiple Drills in Use
A variety of drills can now be seen on top of Boone Dam including the sonic drill and directional drill which create the pilot holes, the auger which installs the 56-inch casing and the reverse circulating drill (RCD) which cuts deep into bedrock. Drills reach depths of approximately 140 feet below the surface of the embankment. Sophisticated monitoring equipment provides managers with real-time progress updates for each drill hole. Concrete comes from an onsite plant and is used to pour the circular pilings. Each batch of concrete is tested and verified for quality before it enters the ground.
While some night work is underway with the RCD drill, the public can expect to see round the clock operations, five nights per week, starting this fall.
The Technique Area of the Boone Dam construction project is now 60% complete. That is the portion of the project where the contractor proves their means and methods. “This gives our contractor the opportunity to show us they can do what they said they could. They are meeting those production rates,” said TVA Construction Manager Kevin McMillion.
Construction of the underground cutoff wall is scheduled for completion in spring 2021. TVA engineers will then fluctuate the lake with a final completion date set for July 2022. The schedule is updated monthly.
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TVA skid steers are small but mighty. They have already cleared nearly 600 acres of vegetation around Boone Lake. Crews will reassess future needs early next year.
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Supplemental Vegetation Management Wraps Up for the Season
Crews worked hard near Lake Harbor subdivision and Crouch Road as they wrap up this year’s supplemental vegetation management program. Initial plans called for cutting and mulching 500 acres. After taking additional requests from the public, crews recently completed nearly 600 acres, working four days per week, ten hours per day. Two skid steers are used in the cutting along with a barge that transports them to the hard-to-access areas. Crews are preparing to make a final sweep for the season near Boone Dam. “We received tremendous input from the public on this program starting with our public information forum last September,” said project manager Sam Vinson. “We will reassess where we are next spring.” To have property assessed for next year, please email boonevegetation@tva.gov.
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TVA’s Jon Michael Mollish holds two Large Mouth Bass from a previous Boone Lake sampling program. The fish were weighed, measured and released.
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Fish Survey Underway at Boone Lake
TVA and TWRA Fisheries Biologists are embarking on a five-year study to track the fish health and potential changes during the drawdown and expected refill. “On most TVA reservoirs, we do this every 2-3 years but, in the case of Boone Lake, we are going to be sampling several times every year,” said Senior Water Resources Specialist Shannon O’Quinn. “You may see us out at night seining (using nets) around the boat ramps or during the day in a boat electrofishing the shoreline. We briefly stun the fish in order to identify the species, weigh, and measure them to determine their overall health.” O’Quinn said after the data is collected the fish are released back into the water. He said that the most recent TVA survey detected some 25 species of fish in Boone Lake and their overall health remains good.
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Paleontologist Shawn Hargrud shows TVA Public and Community Relations Manager Scott Gureck the mastodon femur.
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Supporting STEM Education: Hands On Discovery Center and Gray Fossil Site
As part of its ongoing support of STEM education, TVA provides funding for six partner “Science Alliance” museums across the Tennessee Valley. TVA Public and Community Relations Manager Scott Gureck recently paid a visit to the Hands On Discovery Center and Gray Fossil site. There, Gureck had an opportunity to see paleontologists at work, piecing together the bones of a well-preserved giant mastodon found at the museum site in Gray, Tenn., not far from Boone Dam. The 5-million year old Pliocene-era mastodon may be one of the largest animal finds ever. Once pieced together, a cast of the giant animal will stand more than two stories tall and be displayed in the museum lobby.
TVA supports an annual educational exhibit at the museum each year along with scholarships for 500 local elementary school students who otherwise would not be able to afford to visit. Read more about the Science Alliance please visit.
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