Here is the letter sent to the public from TVA:

Good morning,                                                                                                                                    

TVA manages the 652-mile Tennessee River and its many tributaries using a series of 49 dams to meet vital public needs in six key areas: navigation, flood damage reduction, energy production, water quality, water supply and recreation.  

While spring rainfall totals have been near normal in the eastern portion of the Tennessee River Valley, there have been isolated areas that are well below normal rainfall. This lack of rainfall is impacting the ability for some lakes to reach their summer pool levels. As of now, the impacts are focused in northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia and include Norris, Cherokee, South Holston and Boone Lakes.  

In a few days, TVA will begin outreach to the public through media and social media to share updates but before that begins, we wanted you to hear directly from us. 

Here are the main takeaways: 

Rainfall totals for some areas in the eastern portion of the Valley are below normal for this time of year. In fact, areas in northeast Tennessee that feed into the Holston River and the Clinch and Powell Rivers have only received 25-50% of normal rainfall this spring.  

The watershed areas of Norris, Cherokee, Boone and South Holston Lakes will require above normal rain and runoff for those lakes to reach June 1 recreation levels.  

To help minimize the impact on the lakes, while still maintaining water supply and water quality, we are only releasing the minimum amount of water.  

I have included more detailed information about each of the lakes below.  

Lake-Specific Details 

Norris: The Norris watershed area will need approximately 3.5 inches of rain between now and June 1 for the lake to reach an elevation of 1,020 feet. The Norris watershed area has seen about 50-75% of normal rainfall over the last 60 days. 2016 was the most recent year we’ve seen low or lower levels at Norris in May.   

Cherokee: The Cherokee watershed area will need approximately 5.5 inches of rain between now and June 1 for the lake to reach an elevation of 1,071 feet. The Cherokee watershed area has seen about 75% of normal rainfall over the last 60 days. 2016 was the most recent year we’ve seen low or lower levels at Cherokee in May.   

South Holston: The South Holston watershed area will need approximately 3.0 inches of rain between now and June 1 for the lake to reach an elevation of 1,729 feet. The South Holston watershed area has seen about 50-75% of normal rainfall over the last 60 days. 2016 was the most recent year we’ve seen similarly low levels at South Holston in May.   

Boone: The Boone watershed area will need approximately 1.5 inches of rain between now and June 1 for the lake to reach an elevation of 1,382 feet. The Boone watershed area has seen about 75% of normal rainfall over the last 60 days. Before the extended drawdown, 2008 was the last time we’ve seen levels this low in May. With normal rainfall for the remainder of May, Boone should reach summer pool. 

We will continue to do all we can to move water and increase lake levels but as we all know, Mother Nature controls this right now. As mentioned above, we will begin sharing this information with neighbors and the public in the coming days. 

Should you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me directly.  

Melinda A Watson
Partnerships and Strategic Integration Program Manager
Natural Resources