Heavy rains are forcing the suspension of river navigation through the Tennessee River Gorge today and will raise the levels of South Chickamauga Creek in Chattanooga to just below flood stage by Saturday morning, according to the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Chuck Bach, TVA’s general manager for river scheduling, said today that the South Chickamauga Creek is projected to crest at 6 a.m. Saturday at 17.8 feet – just a few inches shy of the 18-foot flood stage where water in the creek spills over into nearby properties. To limit potential flooding from the rain-swollen creek, TVA will limit its flow through the Chickamauga Dam today, Mr. Bach said.
But 86,000 cubic feet per second of water still is passing through the Chickamauga Dam, including 44,000 cubic feet per second to power all of the hydroelectric turbines plus another 42,000 cubic feet per second through the dam spillways. Mr. Bach said the above-average flow will force the suspension of river navigation west of Chattanooga on the Nickajack Reservoir through the weekend.
“We’re expecting another inch or more of rain on Monday, so we are likely to be spilling water through our main channel dams for at least the next week,” Mr. Bach said.