(WBIR - Blount County) Engineers at Chilhowee Dam are dropping the reservoir's water level 40 feet to inspect the dam for seepage.
The disappearing lake is providing a peek at the past. Old roads, bridges, and other infrastructure are now visible from the days before the area was flooded for the sake of hydroelectric power in 1957.
As of now, Brookfield Smoky Mountain Hydropower has drained 20 feet of water from the reservoir. The full drawdown should be complete in around three weeks if crews maintain the current pace of lowering the lake by one foot per day.
"We started the drawdown after Labor Day to make sure we didn't interrupt the summer recreation season," said David Schreck, dam safety engineer for Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners. "We'll continue drawing the water down and then take a full look at the dam to make sure it going to be safe and in top operational shape for a long time to come."
Schreck said seepage is common and occurs in most dams to some degree, but finding the source can require a lot of work.
"Think about it like the roof of your house. If the roof has a leak, you might see where the water is dripping on the ceiling. But you may not be able to see where it's getting into the roof," said Schreck. "We can see where the seepage is getting out of the dam, but we're not sure where it's getting into the dam. So that's the purpose of this drawdown is for testing."
Most recreational use of the reservoir is now prohibited. Signs warn people not to boat, camp, or search for archaeological artifacts.
"Public access is restricted on the reservoir. The banks are going to be slippery and muddy. Boat access is closed. Bank fishing is closed anywhere upstream from Abrams Creek. Public safety is number one for us through this process. We really want people to go to our website to stay up to date on the project and know what is and is not allowed," said Schreck.
The day-use areas along the river on U.S. 129 are still open for spectators to stop and take a look at the rare sight, but that is as far as Brookfield wants anyone to go.
Part of the attraction to explore the emerging earth is a chance to examine history. As the reservoir disappears, the past reappears. And the farther you go upstream from the dam, the more striking the drawdown becomes.
PHOTO ALBUM: Jim Matheny's photos of Chilhowee drawdown
Three miles upstream from the Chilhowee Dam on U.S. 129, a group of passers-by stop and gather along the road to gaze at a bridge to the past. An old bridge normally hidden by the deep mountain water has emerged to reveal how travelers once crossed Abrams Creek.
Another mile or so upstream at the day-use parking and picnic area, the expanding shore reveals dozens of old Christmas trees that were likely dumped in the water to provide fish habitat.
At the Tabcat Creek bridge six miles upstream from the dam, the land resembles a martian landscape of dried mud. An old road bed is clearly visible as the dry shore extends hundreds of yards. Portions of old rusted cars that were dumped in the reservoir now sit in a sunny breeze, along with old beer cans and other litter dumped in the lake the last few decades.
Boat access is moot with the lack of water. Some floating docks now dangle high above the water line and the drawdown is only half-done.
As for how long the water will stay down, Schreck said that will depend entirely on what engineers find when they inspect the dam.
"The source of the seepage may be something minor that we can live with or it may be something that requires more work. People should expect to see construction equipment out at the dam during this process either way, because we are likely going to take advantage of the water being down to do some other work you normally cannot easily do," said Schreck.
Until the drawdown ends and water once again fills the reservoir, the dry land saturates the scenery with a rare glimpse at a sunken past where the Little Tennessee River winds its way from Calderwood through Chilhowee.
The current drawdown of 40 feet will far exceed a similar drainage a few years ago. In 2008, Tapoco owned the dam and dropped the water level by 25 feet to make repairs on the earthen portion of the dam.
The Chilhowee Dam was built and operated by Tapoco, a division of ALCOA to generate hydroelectric power for the aluminum plant in Blount County. Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners purchased Tapoco's four dams in 2012 and renamed the operation Smoky Mountain Hydropower. Along with the Chilhowee Dam, Brookfield operates the Calderwood Dam and Cheoah Dam upstream from Chilhowee on the Little Tennessee River. The Santeetlah Dam was also obtained as part of the Tapoco purchase.
