TVA says reservoirs are ready for summer despite drought
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Guntersville Lake only ever fluctuates about a foot in elevation. Photo: Derek Lacey/Axios
The Tennessee Valley Authority says reservoirs are at full summer pool levels despite an ongoing drought.
Why it matters: Memorial Day weekend kicks off the summer season, and in North Alabama that means getting out on the Tennessee River.
- Recreation across the watershed generates nearly $12 billion annually — about $1 million per shoreline mile.
State of play: Per the U.S. Drought Monitor, the Tennessee Valley region of North Alabama is split between moderate and severe drought as of May 14, an improvement from the prior week, when the entire area was in at least severe drought.
- From Knoxville to Paducah, all of the Tennessee River watershed is under drought conditions as well, from moderate to extreme.
What they're saying: "This is rivaling the drought we had in 2007, which was the drought of record," Darrell Guinn, TVA's River Forecast Center senior manager, told Axios Thursday.
- Floodplain reservoirs like Guntersville or Wheeler likely won't see much change in levels, but folks upstream of Chattanooga may see more exposed shoreline in the deeper, more storage-capable reservoirs.
- The region has only seen about 70% of its normal rainfall by this point in the year, Guinn said, and only 45% of the normal amount of runoff has made it into the river system.
Context: Beyond recreation, the river supplies 5.5 million people with drinking water from 700 intake points, Guinn said, across TVA's 49-dam network.
- TVA isn't eyeing use restrictions or rationing yet, but Guinn said, "We'll be monitoring intake elevations and ensuring that all these reservoirs are able to maintain coverage over those intakes."
- Flood mitigation, power generation via 29 hydropower dams, and navigation are still focuses for TVA, with 50 million tons annually — including rockets — moving up and down the river.
💭 Derek's thought bubble: I knew my mom would want me to ask TVA about treatment for the invasive eelgrass and other aquatic plants that clog the area around her boathouse in Guntersville.
- Short answer: They're on it. Spokesperson Clarissa McClain said harvesting is underway and other efforts like cutting and EPA-approved herbicide treatments are in the works.
What we're watching: El Niño is on the way, Guinn noted, which should bring a trend of higher rainfall amounts and could pull the region out of the drought by next year.
- The National Weather Service on Thursday forecasted an 82% chance that El Niño will arrive before the end of July.