The Tennessee River has been Chattanooga’s economic lifeblood, providing water, power, recreation and beauty. But last week, the destructive power of the river was unleashed on the Scenic City.

The rain-swollen Tennessee River rose to its second-highest level in Chattanooga since the Tennessee Valley Authority began flood control on the river. A deluge of rain from three days of thunderstorms caused the river and nearby creeks to overflow and damaged an estimated 480 buildings in Chattanooga alone.

TVA officials said it could have been a lot worse. Without its dams and the Brainerd levee, the Tennessee River would have risen another 8.5 feet and caused another $430 million in damages locally, according to TVA estimates.

U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, Tenn., agreed those numbers "underscore the value of TVA," but he said "even another inch of rain" could have worsened the situation.

Now federal and local officials are hopeful last week’s floods will help propel efforts to limit future flood problems in low-lying areas of Hamilton and Rhea counties. They point to possible areas of future emphasis: Additional flood controls in Chattanooga area floodplains, or raise homes in East Ridge. More attention to ongoing studies about changing lake levels along the Tennessee River system.

Additional assistance for flood control upriver in Dayton, Tenn.’s, Richland Creek area and along Graysville, Tenn.’s, Roaring Creek.

Flood control experts acknowledge there’s no guarantee for controlling the forces of nature here. Chattanooga is the drainage route for 21,400 square miles of East Tennessee, North Georgia and Western North Carolina.

Last week, 7.33 inches of rain fell in Chattanooga, and as much as 12 inches of rain fell upriver in parts of East Tennessee.

"We did everything we could to protect Chattanooga," said Morgan Goranflo, manager of river scheduling for TVA in Knoxville. "But there was so much rain by the middle of the week, we couldn’t store any more water."

TVA’s network of 49 dams allows the agency to control lake levels and river flow. But the deluge pushed the reservoirs of Chickamauga, Watts Bar and Fort Loudoun to the highest level since they were created in the 1940s, Mr. Goranflo said.

The flood was the worst since March 1973 — the worst flood in Chattanooga since TVA was created 70 years ago. The 1973 flood caused an estimated $66.6 million in damages and flooded much of the Brainerd area.

LEVEE FIXES

In 1973, Brainerd resident Nancy Smith left her duplex carrying a metal suitcase of paperwork, a just-cooked roast and a strawberry pie. She had returned by boat to fetch belongings from the water that was as high as her bed and sofa.

Thirty years later, Mrs. Smith said the floodwater didn’t reach her house, but she sympathizes with the nearly 2,000 people in the area who were forced to flee their homes.

"I wasn’t expecting that," she said. "I thought we had preventative measures that were sufficient to hold the waters back." In response to that flood 30 years ago, Chattanooga agreed to help fund a long-discussed levee along South Chickamauga Creek. Aided by $14.3 million in federal funding, TVA built and opened the 3.8-mile levee in 1981 to protect more than 1,500 homes, 150 businesses and Brainerd. During heavy rains, a series of gates and pumps in the levee channels floodwaters to the Tennessee River and away from lowlying portions of Brainerd. Chattanooga contributed $3 million to the project and operates the levee pumping stations.

Former U.S. Rep. Marilyn Lloyd, D-Tenn., who lived in Brainerd during the 1973 flood, recalls having to leave her Vannoy Drive house in the middle of the night as floodwater rose. "I was very proud to help get the money for that project, which has more than paid for itself during several floods," she said. "I’m sure glad we had that levee during this flood."

Roger Nicholson, a Kmart manager standing in ankle-deep water inside the East Ridge store last week, said he couldn’t agree more. In 1973, several feet of water flooded the store, he said. He credits the Brainerd levee with minimizing last week’s flood damage and keeping the waters down. "If there’s a better one, this is better," he said of the flood. "There’s a lot of difference between 3 inches and 3 feet." But others in areas not protected by the Brainerd levee said they think last week’s floods may be worse than those that swamped Chattanooga three decades ago.

Debra Mathews, a lifelong Alton Park resident and member of the Hamilton County school board, said she thinks the water may have caused more damage and blocked more roads than before.

"I don’t remember ’73 being so devastating and so many businesses being underwater, especially on Rossville (Boulevard)," she said.

PROTECTING EAST RIDGE

TVA, which recommended construction of the Brainerd levee for Chattanooga, also considered extending the levee into the flood plains in neighboring East Ridge. Rep. Wamp even helped secure a $25 million authorization to help fund more flood-control efforts in East Ridge.

But the federal money is contingent upon East Ridge coming up with a matching $6.25 million. TVA studies concluded the value of the properties protected by a levee in East Ridge did not exceed the cost of building such a facility. East Ridge officials now are pushing to use the federal matching funds to help homeowners in East Ridge’s flood plain raise the foundations of their houses above flood level. East Ridge Mayor Fred Pruett said he hopes many of the 386 homeowners in the city’s flood plain now will agree to participate and pay part of the cost. "We continue to work with the Army Corps of Engineers, but we feel like the homeowners in the affected area should pay their share and not shift the costs to all of the taxpayers in East Ridge," Mr. Pruett said. "So far, there haven’t been a lot of homeowners interested in that option." Interim East Ridge City Manager David Mays said the city could create a special taxing authority to help affected homeowners.

Rep. Wamp said initial authorization for the East Ridge flood control program included in the 1996 Water Resources Development Act still could be used. But he said Congress still must authorize the money if local matching funds are raised.

Rep. Wamp said he also is working with Rhea County officials, to help obtain $2 million for improvements on Roaring Creek near Graysville, Tenn., and another $3 million for flood control measures on Richland Creek in Dayton, Tenn.

"This is the second flood Rhea County has had already this year, and we need to see what the Corps and others may be able to do to help address some of these problems," Rep. Wamp said.

Rhea County Commission Chairman Ronnie Raper said he is eager to see something done. "We’ve got to do something about these creeks, because we’re having too much flooding," Mr. Raper said. "We need the Corps to come in and see what they might do, working along with TVA and TDEC (Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation)."

LAKE LEVEL DEBATE

Any remedies for the localized flooding problems won’t do much to alter flood dangers in downtown Chattanooga, however. "The water from this entire region ultimately passes through Chattanooga, and that creates a great challenge," said Randy Kerr, manager of river forecasting for TVA.

Rep. Wamp said to protect Chattanooga, TVA must be cautious about yielding to lake owner demands to keep reservoir levels higher for recreation in upstream lakes.

"There may be some tweaking we can do to meet the recreation needs," Rep. Wamp said. "But this illustrates how important it is to let the science and experts determine lake levels and not the politics of what some people may want for their summer homes." Lake users on Cherokee, Douglas and Nottely reservoirs have urged TVA to keep lake levels higher. In response, TVA is reassessing lake levels and other river operations as part of a twoyear study.

"We don’t quarrel at all with the flood control needs for TVA," said Glen Bibbins, president of one 900-member lake users group. "What we want is for TVA to delay its drawdown that normally begins in August until at least September. That would not jeopardize any flood control, but it would allow us to use our lake for more of the summer."

As part of its study, TVA is evaluating a century of rain and flood data to determine whether reservoir levels could be altered, according to Mike Eiffe, TVA’s lead flood risk analyst.

Staff Writer Ashley M. Heher contributed to this report.