Nolichucky Dam was built in 1913 as a hydropower project. However, due to siltation of the reservoir, the dam was taken out of service in 1972, and the reservoir was converted into a wildlife management area. Boat access and camping are available at nearby Kinser Park. The dam is a concrete gravity overflow type dam 94 feet high and 482 feet long. The dam has an ogee-type spillway with a flashboard crest. Its reservoir, Davy Crockett Lake (named for the folk figure who was born a few miles upstream from the modern dam site in 1786), has roughly 800 acres of water surface.
Nolichucky Dam was built by the Tennessee Eastern Electric Company (TEEC)in 1912-1913 for hydroelectricity generation. The dam was initially equipped with two generators, and TEEC added two more in 1923. In 1941, the East Tennessee Light & Power Company obtained ownership of the dam when it purchased TEEC's assets. The Tennessee Valley Authority purchased East Tennessee Light & Power in 1945 for a lump sum that included $1.47 million for Nolichucky Dam. TVA made various improvements, and at its height, the dam was capable of producing 10,640 kilowatts of electricity. TVA used the dam for power generation until 1972, when sediment buildup in Davy Crockett Lake made continued electricity generation impractical. The dam and reservoir are now used for flood control and recreation; the reservoir is a wildlife management area.
Nolichucky Dam was built in 1913 as a hydropower project. However, due to siltation of the reservoir, the dam was taken out of service in 1972, and the reservoir was converted into a wildlife management area. Boat access and camping are available at nearby Kinser Park.
The Nolichucky River below the dam is one of the best in east Tennessee for catching smallmouth bass. A parking area and boat ramp are located below the dam, providing access for fishing along the banks or on the river. The Cherokee National Forest lies just to the east of Nolichucky Dam, with trails and forests that visitors can explore.
On April 13, 2007, TVA issued the Record of Decision for this project to evaluate alternative ways to address flooding effects of Nolichucky Dam and the accumulated sediment in Nolichucky Reservoir on land and property not owned by the federal government. The Record of Decision was published in the Federal Register on April 19, 2007.
TVA selected the No Action Alternative in the Record of Decision. TVA had previously identified this alternative as the preferred alternative in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) issued on November 3, 2006.
Nolichucky Dam is located about 7.5 miles south of Greeneville, in Greene County, Tennessee. The dam forms Nolichucky Reservoir (also known as Davy Crockett Lake), which extends about six miles upstream. Nolichucky Dam was built in 1913 as a single-purpose power-production facility and was acquired by TVA in 1945. Because of sediment-relatedproblems, power production has stopped and the project has been used for wildlife management, recreation, and environmental education since 1972. Some commercial sand dredging occurs on the upper end of the reservoir.
The federal government owns approximately 54 percent of the area within the present 500-year floodplain and approximately 63 percent of the area within the 100-year floodplain around Nolichucky Reservoir. Most of the remaining approximately 1,125 acres in the 500-year floodplain is in private ownership (46 percent of this area). Sediment accumulation in the reservoir has raised the 100-year flood level by as much as 10 feet above what it probably was when TVA acquired the project in 1945.
Four alternatives were evaluated in detail in the Final EIS. They are: A- No action; B-Acquire the affected land or land rights; C- Lower the spillway in the dam; D-Remove Nolichucky Dam. Because of the limited potential for flooding and associated flood damages, TVA selected the No-Action Alternative. No alternative alleviates both sediment accumulation and flooding while protecting water quality, wetlands, and associated aquatic life and habitat. TVA will continue to provide updated flood information to Greene County officials to help ensure compliance with applicable local floodplain regulations and existing recreational uses on the reservoir would continue. The selection of the No Action Alternative would not preclude TVA working with individual landowners to address flood problems in the future.
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