TVA to begin repairs at Boone Reservoir

From Staff Reports

   Tennessee Valley Authority will begin a drawdown Thursday of Boone Reservoir in order to begin a five-week repair of spillway gates.
   The reservoir will be lowered seven feet below its normal winter level, taking it to a safe working elevation of 1,348 feet above sea level -- the lowest the reservoir has been since 1984.
   Janet Herrin, TVA senior vice president of River Operations, said, "This drawdown is necessary because it is impossible to safely repair the rollers on one of the spillway gates with any water on the gate. The rollers must be repaired to ensure that the operation of the dam can accommodate a wide range of potential flood events."
   TVA also plans to replace wire ropes used to lift the gates and to inspect all gates and retrofit the dam to accommodate a bulkhead. The bulkhead serves as a water barrier between the upstream reservoir and the spillway gate and should reduce the need for future drawdowns.
   The work is scheduled to be completed by mid-January, with the reservoir returning to its normal winter level in February 2002.