WATER RELEASE
Safety is always a concern while fishing the Tennessee tailwaters. You should always be aware of and avoid the dangers surrounding dams, locks, and powerhouses as frequently releases are made without warning. The TVA is installing automated warning systems at several of its hydroelectric plants and sirens will sound and strobe lights will flash to warn people in the area of impending changes in conditions just upstream and downstream of the dam.
At dams that are not equipped with these devices, be aware of these possible signs of rising water:
* Birds and other wildlife activity may increase
* Sounds of rushing water may become louder
* Water may become cloudy or movement may increase.
The TVA page provides additional information for Dam Release schedules for the S. Holston, Watauga, and Wilbur tailwaters. Again, safety at all times is paramount on tailwaters in the area with dam releases.
River Information by Phone
For the benefit of fishermen and other recreational users of TVA’s reservoirs, a 24-hour automated service provides information on reservoir levels, predicted reservoir levels, tributary flows, and expected water releases from our dams.
Numbers to call
To use this service with a push-button phone, call one of these numbers:
* Knoxville 865-632-2264
* Chattanooga 423-751-2264
* Elsewhere in the Tennessee Valley 800-238-2264 (toll free)
An automated recording will help guide you to the information you need. If you need more information or have problems accessing the data, please call 865-632-6065 Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Eastern time.
System instructions
After dialing, you will hear a menu of selections.
* If you want to know a reservoir’s current water level, press 1 and then enter the two-digit code for the reservoir (see table below). For example, if you want to know the current water level at Norris, press 1 and then 01 (the code for the South Holston Dam). This information is updated periodically throughout the day.
* If you are interested in predicted reservoir levels, press 2 and then enter the two-digit code for the reservoir (see table below). This information is updated daily at 1 p.m. Eastern time.
* If you need information about flows of water in unregulated streams (in cubic feet per second), press 3. This information is updated every two hours between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern time. After you have heard the gauge reading you want (see table below), press * to return to the main menu.
* If you want to know when water will be released from TVA and U.S. Corps of Engineers dams, press 4 and then enter the two-digit code for the dam (see note below). Each day at about 6 p.m. Eastern time, discharges at a particular dam are predicted through midnight of the next day. Actual discharges for the past eight hours are given first. Press # to skip the actual-discharge readings and go directly to the predicted ones.
If spilling is reported, predicted discharge is not given. The total discharge is the sum of water discharged at all available generating units plus the spillway discharge.
Note: You may go directly to the information you want without listening to all the instructions. For example, if you want the South Holston Dam water-release schedule, press 4 as soon as you hear “Welcome.” Then, after a slight pause, press 01 for South Holston, pause, and press # to skip the information on observed discharges. You’ll hear the latest water-release schedule. You may press the * key to return to the main menu or the 9 key to exit from the system without hearing the entire report.
Reservoir, Stream, and Dam Information:
For Observed Water Levels Press 1
For Predicted Water Levels Press 2
For Unregulated Stream Flows Press 3
For Water Release Schedules Press 4, then press the number for the following Dam as applicable:
South Holston 01, Watauga 02, Wilbur 42, Doe at Elizabethton Chatuge 19, Ft. Patrick Henry 04
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