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TVA Keeping Boone Lake Clean Ahead of July 4th Holiday
Crews will continue an all-out debris management effort until the 4th of July weekend working six days per week, 12 hours a day, with two crews.
“Our goal is to make the lake as clean as possible for people wanting to enjoy the waters over the holiday,” said Cord Wordlaw, who spearheads TVA’s vegetation management effort. “As our project draws to an end we will begin easing back with one crew for the remainder of the summer, allowing the Boone Lake Association to continue their ongoing cleanup efforts for their neighbors. We really appreciate the partnership we have had with our neighbor groups, BLA and BDRC, in managing the lake cleanup efforts.”
From Jan. 2019 to June 2021, TVA crews spent 45,000 hours hard at work on Boone Lake.
Some other key totals:
- Crews collected 220 barge loads of vegetation from March 15th to June 10th.
- That is equivalent to 330 dumpster loads. Note that one barge is equivalent to 1 ½ full dumpster load (30 cubic yard dumpster).
After the holiday, some TVA crew members will be reassigned to assist in the final construction phase of the project, restoring the crest and building the flood wall. From Jan. 2019 to June 2021, TVA crews spent 45,000 hours hard at work on Boone Lake.
Some other key totals:
- Crews collected 220 barge loads of vegetation from March 15th to June 10th.
- That is equivalent to 330 dumpster loads. Note that one barge is equivalent to 1 ½ full dumpster load (30 cubic yard dumpster).
- 2,198 acres mulched to date
- Average headcount: 14
- 81 areas identified and cleared
- 10 main channel areas & 71 coves
After the holiday, some TVA crew members will be reassigned to assist in the final construction phase of the project, restoring the crest and building the flood wall.
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Former TWRA Commissioner Chad Baker and current Commissioner Tommy Woods at the fish release on Boone Lake.
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TWRA places some fingerlings into buckets, which were then placed around the lake by professional fishermen. The rest were sent out from the tank via a drain.
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TWRA Releases 50,000 Bass into Boone Lake
Tiny largemouth bass from a hatchery in Alabama have found a new home to grow up in on Boone Lake. TWRA Commissioner Tommy Woods spearheaded the effort to get the hybrid fish into the lake a year early. The fingerlings, about the size of a finger, were released at the TWRA Airport boat ramp by professional fishermen who volunteered to take them out in buckets and scatter them around the lake. The fish should spawn in 3-5 years.
“I spoke with the TVA and they are confident about the dam repair so we are starting this a year early,” said Woods. “We will release 50,000 this year and 50,000 more for three years total,” he said.
“This will have a huge economic impact on our area,” said Chad Baker, former TWRA Commissioner. “Where the water’s been down it’s a perfect habitat for these fish to survive.”
The fish are a combination Florida and northern strain. Baker said they should grow over 10 pounds, providing bigger, more aggressive fish for anglers.
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More than 40 TVA retirees gathered at the Rogersville Municipal Park shelter to hear a project update from Chris Saucier.
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Chris Saucier points to a model of the Boone Dam cutoff wall as he speaks about the project.
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TVA Retirees Hear from Boone Dam Technical Director Chris Saucier
Chris Saucier addressed a packed house for the TVA Retirees Association Upper East Tennessee Chapter meeting in Rogersville on June 9. Chris discussed the Boone Dam Internal Erosion Remediation project going back to the beginning with an overview of the discovery of the sinkhole and muddy discharge into the tailrace at Boone Dam. Chris then discussed the various remediation project components including: grouting, seepage barrier, stability berms, diaphragm cutoff wall up, and the current and final phase, crest restoration and construction of the floodwall. The contractor is now mobilizing with floodwall construction to start in late July.
Chris said everything looks good so far as testing of the new floodwall continues throughout the lake fluctuations. Chris fielded numerous questions from the engaged audience, several of whom were former TVA dam safety inspectors. Boone Lake is expected to be at summer pool, 1382 feet, in July. It will hold at that level until September. The Boone Dam project will return the site to normal operations in July 2022.
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Jeff Dykes, BrightRidge; Betsey McCall, Seven States; Chris Quillen, TVA and Dr. Brian Noland, ETSU at the launch of the new ETSU charging stations. One of the first cars to charge was the BrightRidge Leaf.
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TVA’s Chris Quillen looks under the hood of Washington County’s new electric school bus.
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This electric school bus is the first of its kind in the state of Tennessee.
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Seven States, BrightRidge Cut Ribbons on ETSU Charging Stations; Washington County Schools Unveil Tennessee’s First Electric School Bus
Electric Vehicle events are taking place all around Johnson City these days. Seven States Power Corporation and BrightRidge cut the ribbon on eight new electric vehicle charging stations on the ETSU Campus on June 17.
Meanwhile, a new bus will be picking up school kids in Washington County, Tennessee, this fall, but it’s not your normal school bus that runs on gasoline or diesel --- this one will be all-electric!
“Washington County Schools have a history of implementing projects that promote clean energy and energy efficiency,” said Jerry Boyd, Washington County’s Director of Schools. “The partnership we've created with TDEC, TVA, and BrightRidge to place an all-electric school bus in our fleet is a major advance in the effort to reduce our carbon footprint. We plan to put this bus on a regular route, five days per week, just like our diesel powered buses. We are really excited about getting this vehicle on the road!”
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Meet the Mountains is Back!
Save the date for August 20-21 for the Meet the Mountains Festival at Founder’s Park. Stop by to see us at the BrightRidge/TVA tent!
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