Hot Water release on the Hiwassee

[Fishermansfly]

Here's an improtant question, "How many fish did it kill and what damage did it do to this fishery?" What's does the kill look like?

~Brett

[sprestwood]

http://lakeinfo.tva.gov/htbin/lakein...bmit=View+info

Has anyone witnessed if the Apalachia Dam spilling? I have an uncle that used to work for TVA and he said the website releases can be inaccurate. And if so, has anyone taken the temp of the water below the generators?
Thanks,
Scott

[waterwolf]

I would say they are still spilling if that notice is up there. If anything TVA web schedules are 99% accurate. Sure sometimes they turn the water on an hour early and off an hour late. But usually they stick to that schedule.

I have not heard anymore about the status of the fishery.

[Petey]

They are spilling a constant 25 cfs all day every day on the hour. it is done to help protect an endangered wild flower. I believe it is the Ruth Golden Aster.

It has a slight effect on the warming effect that occurs on the river, but not one that is extremely significant. Small lake to draw from and a wide shallow river bed, plus the drought are our real issues.A good number of the browns tend to survive and do so because of their ability to withstand marginal water.

Water is around 68 when TVA turns the wheels on at the Powerhouse, by the time you drop Towee Shoals it has warmed to the point that bites become extremely far and few between.

Petey

[golfballs03]

So bottom line; I wouldn't recommend fishing the Hiwassee

[Shaggy]

Hiwassee is fishing just fine as far as the Hiwassee goes. The fish are small of course with little fight, but upstream (closer to powerhouse) there are plenty of them. The temps are coming down as the weather cools.

[Flat Fly n]

But......
1) I thought TVA was originally establised for power generation for Oak Ridge and Alcoa during WWII, with an after thought re: flood control, and the economics came second, or third. We had a war to win or there would be no concerns for the poor in this region or this country.

2) Is it true that hydro only accounts for 20% of the actual power TVA generates with the rest coal( one only needs to watch the coal cars coming in at Kingston steam plant and continuesly dumping coal while fishing for stripers in the winter)

3) Doesn't the Hiawassee have a warming problem every summer?

4) Knew Dave B. great guy, full of spit for someone about 5 foot nothing. A great fisherman and flytier. He used to fish something called a Clinch river midge.

5) I do believe TVA has lost some "focus" on the cold water fisheries it created many years ago. I would love to see some minimal flows on these rivers i.e. 250CFS constantly, if only during the summer months with water temps ups and lower DO. Somewhere in the back of my brain I remember water slowly coming out of the slucies on Norris when I started fishing there in 1986 and the fishing was incredible both in fish, size, and aquatic insects. (prior to some mysterious chlorine leak in the early 90's, which about killed the portion above the weir, but that's another story)

Thanks for the information, and passion on both ends of the spectrum. Now if we can channel all this energy to be a watchdog on TVA and help preserve the best trout fishing east of the Mississippi!