KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Valley Authority announced it's deploying a 4,000-foot boom across Douglas Lake.
The boom, which will be north of Dandridge, is meant to help protect water supply intakes and other infrastructure downstream. A boom is a floating barrier that captures surface and submerged debris in bodies of water, TVA said.
Flooding from Helene has created a large amount of floating debris in the Douglas Reservoir in Sevier and Jefferson Counties.
As of late Wednesday, the debris field is approximately one square mile in size and moving one mile per day downstream, towards Douglas Dam, according to TVA.
The one-mile boom, which reaches from shore to shore, will help contain debris. The boom will be in place until further notice. For safety, TVA is advising the public to stay off the lake near the boom until further notice, the agency said.
Boaters won't be able to pass through and TVA police and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officers will be patrolling the area, according to TVA.