The Daily Times

TVA is preparing for a Noah-sized flood.

The authority hosted an open house and public information meeting Thursday at Louisville Town Hall.

Officials provided information and took public comments on a proposal to make permanent modifications to the Fort Loudoun and Tellico dams that would allow them to contain more water.

Louisville Mayor Tom Bickers asked TVA to make the presentation after a town property owner said his insurance underwriter told him that he has more property risk in the event of a flood because the dam can hold more water.

“I understand why they want to do it,” Bickers said. “In the event of a Noah-type flood we’re going to have a lot of other issues to deal with anyway. I’m worried that insurance underwriters will use this as an increased risk and raise our insurance, even for a flood of that magnitude.”

TVA updated its flood model and decided to make permanent existing temporary sand-filled, wall-like structures that are atop earthen embankments at Fort Loudoun, Tellico, Cherokee and Watts Bar dames. They are designed to prevent water overtopping the dams during a probably maximum flood event, according to TVA communications consultant Bill Sitton.

He said preparations are for a flood larger than the one that did so much damage last year in Nashville.

TVA dams can handle anticipated water generated by 100-year and 500-year flood predictions, he said.

“We can handle these levels currently. TVA dams have spillways (to help discharge excess water). Property owners would see no difference than today,” he said.

“In the event of a flood so high that it would go over Tellico and, Fort Loudoun dams, these modifications would give us a little extra room (to hold more water),” Sitton said.

The structures would be four to six feet high, which would allow TVA to store an extra three or four feet of water.

The changes would also provide some protection for nuclear plants downstream.

The TVA dam system is designed to protect both the people upstream and downstream from the dams. Sitton said TVA “tries to keep the reservoirs at a level so people can enjoy the water, which gives us less storage capacity than we could have.”

He said for years TVA has had flowage easements around the dams allowing the authority to store water around the dams.

Currently, TVA is conducting an environmental review on the proposed permanent modifications, taking public comments and doing an environmental assessment and impact statement.

The public comment period is open until Sept. 30.

Sitton said there is no cost estimate on the modifications. He said the earliest construction could start would likely be 2013.

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