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Chilhowee Lake has been drawn down 25 feet to allow for repairs to the south embankment of the dam.

The drawdown started Sept. 2, and the lake was drained one to two feet a day until last weekend when it reached 25 feet.

As the lake went down lower and lower, past remnants of human habitation and natural elements were revealed.

The bed of the Little Tennessee River that flowed from Calderwood was evident from the Tabcat Creek area.

Signs of former human habitation include the old Calderwood Highway road bed, a former fence row, footprint where a house once stood, a Jeep, truck bed and lots of car parts.

Over the weekend, hundreds of people turned out to see what the lake looks like at this low level, trying to see what features were previously covered by water.

On Saturday workers in a boat sprayed a seed mixture on the exposed banks, said ALCOA Public Information Officer Christy Newman.

"The vegetation is to keep erosion at a minimum, provide food for waterfowl and provide a cover for the fish once the lake is raised to its normal level," said Newman. The vegetation will also to keep down invasive plants that are not wanted in the lake.

The lake normally is 61 feet deep at its deepest level nearest the dam. It now stands at 36 feet there.

Stolen vehicles found

On Sept. 14, the Blount County Special Operations Response Team pulled two stolen trucks out of the lake near the main boat ramp closest to Foothills Parkway. The trucks, one from Knoxville and one from South Carolina, were reported stolen in 2007. One of them still had a ball bat holding the accelerator down. Four other vehicles are reportedly submerged in the same area and are expected to be pulled out later.

The problem at the dam became evident when a depression or sinkhole-like area was discovered in 2000 on the south embankment. It resembles an upside down ice cream cone five or six feet in diameter that extends down about 20 feet to bedrock.

A crane is being used to remove the embankment material.

Ray Barham, Tapoco Technical Manager for ALCOA Power Generating Inc. (APGI), said earlier that the embankment will be excavated down to the bedrock. That bedrock will then be regrouted and the clay core will be built back up. As the core is rebuilt, the lake level will be gradually raised.

Barham said the embankment problem could have resulted from construction techniques used at the time the dam was built in 1957.

The depression continues to settle and the APGI decided to go ahead and make repairs before the situation escalates and could require more expensive work later. The work is expected to cost $6 to $8 million. Topoco, which supplies electricity to ALCOA Inc., will still be able to produce electricity, but at a reduced level.

Hopes are to complete the repairs and have the water back up at full pool by early 2009, Newman said.

Recreation areas closed

During the construction period, some public boat ramps and roads will be closed. These include:

The Chilhowee Reservoir public access area.

Boat ramps at Pear Tree, Calderwood Village, Tabcat Creek, Gravel Pile and Happy Valley.

n Mount Pleasant Road at Chilhowee Dam on the Monroe County side of the dam.