Boone Dam Project Wins Top USSD Award

Representatives from the Boone Dam project were in San Diego, California, on April 13 to accept the U.S. Society on Dams’ highest honor – The “Excellence in a Constructed Project” award for the Boone Dam Internal Remediation Project. TVA is listed as the Owner/Designer. The following contractors shared in the award: Barnard Construction Company Inc., Nicholson Construction Company, TREVIICOS-Nicholson Joint Venture and Phillips & Jordan Inc.

TVA won the same award last year for the Pickwick Dam project in west Tennessee. This is the first time an enterprise has captured the award two years in a row.

ETSU Geosciences Students Visit Boone Dam

Boone Dam’s Chris Saucier and Veronica Barredo hosted Dr. Nandi Arpita and her East Tennessee State University Geosciences students on March 30. Students were provided an overview of the project from a technical perspective and took a guided walkdown of Boone Dam. The site visit gave students an opportunity to interact directly with TVA geotechnical engineering experts, including Saucier, TVA Engineer of the Year for 2022 and Top Ten Finalist for Federal Engineer of the Year award.  Barredo was the 2021 United States Society on Dams Young Professional of the Year. The following is an excerpt from Dr. Nandi’s thank you note:

“Our fourth and possibly the last visit with the up-close, behind-the-scenes tour provided an invaluable experience to the current students who would become the next generation workforce. I know these students are already very appreciative of such an opportunity but still have no idea about the extent of a positive impact it generates that they will treasure throughout their life.

Our special thanks to Veronica and Chris for taking the time from your work schedule for your highly informative presentations. It helped us understand the rigorous science and technology and tough decision-making that you all had to make for this project to be successful, sound, and safe for the public. Overall, this tour was significant for our students. I am very hopeful that we will continue our connection for many years and extend new opportunities. “

Throughout the project, Boone Dam community relations hosted many visiting students and guests, including Dr. Nandi’s previous classes, Northeast State engineering students and the ETSU Roan Scholars.

Learn more about Chris Saucier and his 2022 TVA Engineer of the Year award.

Plan Ahead for Dock Modifications: 26A Permit Fee Waivers Remain thru September 30

When the Boone Dam seepage issue was discovered in 2014, TVA’s Natural Resources Department approved a fee waiver for all residential applications for Section 26a permits, which are required to build docks or stabilize the shoreline. Since the reservoir will return to normal operations in July 2022, TVA plans to continue the fee waiver through Sept. 30, 2022. The 26A Permit fees will resume Oct. 1, 2022, the start of TVA’s fiscal year.

“The primary goal of the fee waiver was to facilitate access to the reservoir for property owners around the shoreline and to provide an opportunity for maintenance and reconstruction of facilities during the reservoir drawdown,” said Anthony Summit, manager of Land Use and Permitting for TVA’s Natural Resources staff. “This information about fees resuming on Oct. 1 should provide the community plenty of notice if people need to make modifications this summer”

Since 2014, Natural Resources has waived the application fee for over 300 Section 26a applications.

For more information, please visit tva.com/shorelinepermits or call the Public Land Information Center at 800-882-5263.

Planting Trees for Tennessee Tree Day

TVA’s Shannon O’Quinn and ETSU Arborist Travis Watson provided brief remarks at the ETSU Disc Golf Course to celebrate Tennessee Tree Day on March 24. They teamed with a University High School senior to plant eight trees around the course, and TVA donated a total of 50 mulberry and nutall oak trees for use around the ETSU campus. Shannon used the event as a teaching opportunity to show University High School Senior Andrew Ross-Sermons the best means and methods for planting a tree.

TVA Celebrates Completion of South Holston Trail System

The Tennessee Valley Authority recently celebrated the completion of a South Holston trail system, providing the area with expanded access to trails that are accessible for all ages and skill levels.

With four trails, the new system offers families a total of six miles to explore on trails that are multi-use and bike-optimized, offering an easy ride with some optional features for more advanced mountain bikers.

TVA Forester Randy Short said TVA recognized a need for family friendly trails in the area. “The property is level to rolling with minimal topography, and those are excellent qualities for easy, family friendly trails. The first trail was constructed in 2018 and the last in late 2021, and all the trails are connected. They form loops so they can be ridden multiple times, from multiple directions.”

Randy said Marc Upton, an avid and well-known cycling enthusiast in the area, was instrumental in developing the trails. “Marc has been involved in the development of these trails since the beginning. He has not only helped construct the trails, but has also been one of their greatest advocates.”

Six miles from downtown Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia, the trails add to nearby recreational opportunities that include fishing, boating, skiing, kayaking and more at South Holston Dam Reservation.

Over the course of three years, TVA has invested $125,000 to build the trail system and worked with local partners such as the King University Cycling Team, which will help maintain the trails.

“King University and TVA entered into a cooperative agreement for maintenance of the trails in early 2022,” said Randy. “King will provide maintenance for the trails. In return, TVA will  provide a small monetary annual donation to the King cycling program. Although the partnership is new, I am excited to have King University as a partner, and we look forward to the partnership being a win-win for King and TVA.”

Members of the King Cycling team rode the trails at a ribbon cutting event on April 5.

Boone Lake Annual Cleanup a Success!

TVA partnered with the Boone Lake Association for the Annual Cleanup on Saturday, April 30. TVA supplied volunteers and work crews, as well as bags and gloves. Once again, tons of trash were collected and the cleanup event was followed by a picnic at Winged Deer Park.

New Eagle Pair has Pair of their Own on Boone Lake

Springtime means the birds, the bees and the eagles of Boone Lake! A new eagle couple has taken up residence in the Johnson City nest, located on private property on Boone Lake. After taking turns nestsitting, the couple, Boone and Jolene, are busy with their two eaglets. TVA has once again partnered with the ETSU Biology Department to support the live eagle cams, which are powered by BrightRidge and BTES (Bluff City).

“The TVA has supported the ETSU EagleCam since 2015. In fact, TVA was the first supporter at a time when we had only weeks to purchase and install the cameras and computers to meet federal wildlife protection mandates,” said Dr. Fred J. Alsop III, director, Biology/ETSU EagleCam Project and professor emeritus in Biological Sciences.  “The continual support we have received has enabled the project to add support poles, baffling to decrease raccoon incursions, have 24-7 livestreaming, to pay tree-climbers, and to purchase the many necessities to keep the cameras running. In addition, the TVA provided marketing opportunities by featuring the EagleCam during public information fairs and in newsletters, helping to expand the audience,” Alsop said.

Dam Safety Awareness Day on May 31

As part of TVA’s ongoing commitment to Dam Safety, we recognize National Dam Safety Awareness Day on May 31 each year. That day commemorates the failure of the South Fork Dam in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in 1889. National Dam Safety Awareness Day was created to encourage and promote individual and community responsibility for dam safety, as well as to provide information on what steps can be taken to prevent dam failures. A secondary goal is to promote the benefits dams offer to communities, such as the storage of drinking water and the improvement of wildlife habitats.

For over 30 years, the federal government has been working to ensure the safety of dams and protect Americans from dam failure through National Dam Safety Program. The program is a partnership of states, federal agencies and other stakeholders to encourage individual and community responsibility for dam safety. Dam safety is a shared responsibility, and everyone is encouraged to know their risk and benefits, know their role, and take action. Additional information on national dam safety is available from FEMA.

Our Final Newsletter – Thank You!

Thanks so much to you, our loyal readers, for remaining faithful in your readership throughout the years. It has truly been my pleasure to lead the Boone Dam community relations outreach since September 2015. Together, with our project leaders, we have visited your living rooms, your civic clubs and your schools. We’ve volunteered to serve the hungry, given toys for tots and cleaned up Boone Lake together. Your interest and faith in our team over the course of the Boone Dam project was always appreciated. Now that Boone Dam returns to the public for Memorial Day weekend, this newsletter is no longer needed. We will also shut down our Boone Repair Twitter at the end of May. We hope that you will enjoy the outdoor recreational opportunities, including the beach area, picnicking, and swimming, at TVA’s Boone Dam!