Tommy McFarland, general manager of the Tracy City Public Utility, stands on the upstream side of the Big Fiery Gizzard Dam at the point where water levels will reach after the dam is raised 7 feet. The footprint of the reservoir will almost double after the work.BY THE NUMBERS$5.5 million: Approximate total project cost$4.972 million: USDA grant and loan funding$500,000: Community Development Block Grant680,000 gallons: Current reservoir supply capacity600,000 gallons: Supply increase40 acres: Newly inundated land surrounding reservoirSource: U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development
TRACY CITY, Tenn. – The Big Fiery Gizzard Reservoir in southeastern Grundy County will almost double in size and capacity once a $5.5 million dam-raising project is complete.
Officials are studying two ideas for raising the dam, Public Utility General Manager Tommy McFarland said Friday. One is to use rock removed from the existing spillway to build up the dam; the other is to top it with a concrete wall.
The top of the dam will be raised seven feet, increasing the reservoir’s storage capacity by about 176 million gallons and boosting supply capacity by 600,000 gallons a day, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The improvements will help Tracy City better withstand the drought and accommodate future demand from population growth, officials said.
The work is funded by a $4.972 million USDA Rural Development loan and grant package, announced in June, and a $500,000 community development block grant. The Tracy City Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Thursday approved a resolution to issue a $3.234 million bond as part of project funding.