Thanks, TVA.

[gaspergou]

Had a couple hours to fish and didn't want to hassle with the boat, so I decided to drive down below Nickajack... which is kind of a long ways to drive to find closed gates and no river access.

From their website -- hopefully nobody else makes the same mistake:
"DECEMBER 1, 2015—Recent rains have provided welcome assistance to emergency responders fighting active fires across our region, but have not eliminated the extreme drought conditions that continue to increase fire danger and threaten public safety. Along with other federal, state and local agencies, TVA is continuing a burn ban on all public lands and facilities it manages across its entire seven-state service area. All open flames are prohibited—including campfires, barbeques and smoking. Read more here.

Specific TVA facilities and recreation areas in areas of extreme fire danger remain closed at this time. We will continue to evaluate conditions at each affected area and will make any additional decisions on facility status on a case-by-case basis to help ensure the safety of the public.

Currently, the affected areas include (in alphabetical order):

Appalachia Dam: Powerhouse Rd. at main entrance gate and pedestrian access at swing bridge
Blue Ridge Dam: Overlook picnic area and fisherman’s parking area
Chatuge Dam: Powerhouse areas and river access, Circle Recreation Area and boat ramp, Weir Dam picnic area, Bell Creek picnic area, Lower Bell Creek Church primitive camping area, Mull Rd. primitive camping area, Cove Lake access, and Shooting Creek Recreational Area
Cherokee Dam: Overlook
Douglas Dam: Overlook
Fontana Dam: Lower Powerhouse Road (closed after normal business hours)
Fort Loudon Dam Overlook
Guntersville Dam: Cave Mountain Trail and Equestrian Trial
Hiwassee Dam: Overlook, upper and lower picnic areas, Old Campground, Mickens Branch Campground and Cherokee Lake access
Nickajack Dam: New Hope Reservation
Norris Dam: Overlook
Nottely Dam: Picnic areas, bike trails, “rock cliffs” area and Powerhouse Dr.
Raccoon Mountain: Upper reservation and visitor’s center
Sequoyah: Public use area
South Holston Dam: Overlook
Watauga Dam: Overlook and campground
Wheeler Dam: Hatchett Ridge Road Walking Trail and primitive camping area"

 

[SHane]

New Hope area has been closed for a few weeks now, but it is the only thing closed on Nick A Jack.

 

[finbully]

Good to see TVA is protecting our lands at this time of extreme drought. We don't need fires in the watershed that would immediately pollute the water we drink. It just takes one irresponsible act to start thousands of acres on fire. With the recent rains, the threat has lessened but we need a lot more to get back to normal soil and watershed moisture.

A couple of hours of cancelled fishing is a small price to pay for the stewardship TVA provides.

 

[polo-dog]

Ugh.

 

[gaspergou]

finbully - 12/7/2016 2:51 PM

Good to see TVA is protecting our lands at this time of extreme drought. We don't need fires in the watershed that would immediately pollute the water we drink. It just takes one irresponsible act to start thousands of acres on fire. With the recent rains, the threat has lessened but we need a lot more to get back to normal soil and watershed moisture. A couple of hours of cancelled fishing is a small price to pay for the stewardship TVA provides.

My point was that the closures weren’t widely posted. It might have been nice if TVA had flagged the Reservoir Information page or other places folks routinely look, rather than burying it in a news release.

 

[finbully]

I see it front and center here:

https://www.tva.com/

Look 1/3 the way down the page - yellow highlighted background.

I know they would like to hear your feedback to improve this sort of communication - (865) 632-2101.

I'm not kidding give them a call, and let them know, please.

 

[swamp]

I hear you gaspergou.
I only look at the generation schedule
I would have done the same thing.