Since 2013, TVA has been funding trout production by the Service at three national fish hatcheries: Dale Hollow and Erwin in Tennessee, and Chattahoochee Forest in Georgia. The trout are then provided to the following tailwaters: Apalachia (Hiwassee River), Blue Ridge, Boone, Cherokee, Fort Patrick Henry, Normandy, Norris, South Holston, Tims Ford, and Wilbur. Trout-stocked reservoirs in the plan include Fort Patrick Henry, South Holston, Parksville, Watauga, and Wilbur reservoirs.
The National Park Service will have a talk on the Tennessee Valley Authority on Sunday while celebrating the 82nd anniversary of the completion of the TVA Norris Dam. During the program, the Park Service will discuss how the Tennessee Valley Authority changed the landscape and supported the war effort in East Tennessee, a press release said.
The Sunday program is free, and it is being offered by the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, a unique three-site park that includes Oak Ridge; Hanford, Washington; and Los Alamos, New Mexico. The program is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 4, at the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge.
The American Museum of Science and Energy is located at 300 South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge. The National Park Service visitor desk is located at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge at 461 West Outer Drive. For more information or directions, call (865) 482-1942.
Oak Ridge, Hanford, and Los Alamos were part of the Manhattan Project, a top-secret program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II.
The Tennessee Valley Authority on Wednesday said it is releasing more water out of Norris Dam, increasing high river flows on the Clinch River, which flows past Oak Ridge.
“Because of more heavy rain in the forecast, water releases out of Norris Dam will increase today to 135,000 gallons per second,” TVA said Wednesday.
A routine bridge inspection will require a single lane closure on U.S. Highway 441 across Norris Dam near Norris on Wednesday, June 28. The closure should begin by 11 a.m. and be complete no later than 5 p.m., a press release said.
Law enforcement officers will be on hand to direct traffic, but motorists should expect delays, said the press release from the Tennessee Valley Authority.
This story was updated at 9:55 a.m.
The Dogwood Junior Championship Regatta scheduled for this weekend has been canceled due to increased water flow on Melton Hill Lake and unsafe rowing conditions, the Oak Ridge Rowing Association said on Twitter.
All coaches received a cancellation notice by email through Regatta Central.
A crowd gathered Tuesday to watch the Tennessee Valley Authority spill water at Norris Dam for the first time since 2013.
TVA said it could spill water over the top of the dam for about 15 days.
“We are currently spilling about 124,000 gallons per second at Norris Dam,” TVA said Tuesday.
WYSH Radio in Clinton reported that TVA is seeking to lower the water level in Norris Lake, which was about six feet above the summer pool level following last weekend’s relentless rainfall.
One of East Tennessee’s most iconic energy sources, and a popular tourist and recreation destination, is officially now a protected American historic resource.
The National Park Service has added majestic Norris Dam, which extends 1,860 feet across the Clinch River in East Tennessee, to the National Register of Historic Places.
U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann presented TVA Historian Pat Ezzell the plaque that will be prominently displayed at Norris Dam. Fleischmann bestowed the plaque at a July 28 dinner that celebrated the 80th anniversary of initial operation of TVA’s first hydro project.
The Tennessee Valley Authority is celebrating the 80th anniversary of Norris Dam with a food, family-friendly fun, music, and self-guided tours of Norris Dam.
“It’ll be a birthday party to remember…and TVA is giving away all of the presents!” a press release said.
The party is scheduled from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, July 29 and 30, at the dam.
No reservations or tickets are required, and admission is free.
“Come bring your family and friends for an experience to remember,” the press release said.
Norris Dam is one of three Tennessee sites added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 20, state officials said Wednesday.
The Tennessee Historical Commission announced the addition of the three sites. Besides Norris Dam, the other two sites are Jefferson Street Historic District in Brownsville in Haywood County and Kenner Manor Historic District in Nashville.
Norris Dam is referred to as the Norris Hydroelectric Project. Built in Anderson and Campbell counties between 1933 and 1936, the Norris Hydroelectric Project was the first project for the newly established Tennessee Valley Authority, a press release said. Named after Nebraska Senator George Norris, who advocated for public power facilities, the dam and associated properties provided electricity to the rural areas of Tennessee and the surrounding states, helped with seasonal flood control, and provided power for wartime industries.
The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge will host the opening of an exhibition by Harvey Towns commemorating the 80th anniversary of the completion of Norris Dam. The opening reception will be from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, March 6, at the Children’s Museum, which is at 461 West Outer Drive. Refreshments will be provided.
On March 4, 1936, the outlet conduit gates in Norris Dam were closed and the storage of water in the reservoir began. This exhibit displays rare and historic photographs of construction leading up to that event. Norris Dam, hydroelectric facility, was the first dam built by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
NORRIS—Strong winds knocked down a few dozen trees in a small area south of Norris Dam during the storms on Wednesday.
Meteorologist Glenn Carrin of the National Weather Service in Morristown said the vast majority of trees were down in the forecast area due to strong winds on a windy day. There was a marginal risk for severe thunderstorms, he said, and very tight pressure gradients with winds of 25 to 30 mph, and gusts over 40 mph.
Note: This story was last updated at 8:50 p.m.
NORRIS—A fisherman who fell overboard on the Clinch River below Norris Dam on Sunday afternoon has his nephew to thank for quick action that undoubtedly saved his life, officials said.
Cecil Branscom, 70, of Dublin, Virginia, and his nephew Scott Branscom, 48, of Knoxville, launched their boat at Peach Orchard Access Area on the Clinch River on Sunday afternoon and headed upstream toward Norris Dam. When they reached the weir dam at around 2 p.m., they prepared to begin fishing when the boat’s engine hit a rock in the water, sending Cecil overboard from the front of the vessel into 48-degree water.