Chickamauga Dam and the lake it holds back north of Chattanooga were operating at normal levels after the city received 6.4 inches of rain Tuesday, triggering dangerous flash flooding, the Tennessee Valley Authority said.
Most of the rain fell between 5:30-8:30 p.m. in a concentrated local area and did not fall broadly over the Tennessee River watershed, TVA spokesperson Scott Brooks said in an email.
“Flows and elevations along TVA’s reservoir system, including TVA’s Chickamauga Dam, are normal and are not being impacted by the flash floods in Chattanooga,” Brooks said.
The federal utility’s River Forecast Center in Knoxville is monitoring the flash flooding, Brooks said. The storm led to three fatalities when a tree fell on a car in East Ridge.
(READ MORE: Two adults, one child die in East Ridge after tree collapsed on car during storm)
First responders in Chattanooga also located a deceased individual on Wednesday afternoon while searching for a man who was swept away by floodwaters Tuesday, bringing the flooding death count to four, officials said.
Tuesday’s rainfall was the second-highest for a single day in the city’s recorded history, according to the National Weather Service, and mostly fell east of the Tennessee River over the East Brainerd and East Ridge areas, which are already the most flood-prone areas of the city.
Water elevations in Chickamauga Lake remained steady during the storm at around 682 feet above sea level behind the dam and 636 feet above sea level below the dam, TVA data shows.
The nation’s largest public power provider, which has more employees and office space in Chattanooga than anywhere else, was not spilling water through its dams Wednesday, Brooks said.
(SIGN UP: Get breaking news in your inbox as it happens by going to timesfreepress.com/breaking)
TVA estimates it has averted at least $4.9 billion of flood damage in Chattanooga since Congress created the utility in 1933 to bring electricity to the rural Tennessee Valley.
Its first order of business was to build a series of hydroelectric dams to provide power, flood control and a deeper navigation channel in the Tennessee River. The dams provide around 10% of TVA’s electricity today as it generates power for 10 million customers in Tennessee and parts of six other states.
After the remnants of Hurricane Helene caused destructive flooding in East Tennessee in September, TVA estimates it prevented as much as $186 million of damage in Chattanooga by storing water behind dams in reservoirs.
TVA does not control flash flooding in local neighborhoods caused by overwhelmed drainage systems or flooded small creeks that feed into the Tennessee River.
Flooding is still possible Wednesday as the National Weather Service maintains a flood watch in Chattanooga until 8 p.m.
“The National Weather Service and local authorities will be the best source of information in regard to road closures, additional flash flood risk and latest forecast for smaller creeks and streams in the area,” Brooks said.
Contact business reporter Daniel Dassow at ddassow@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.