Douglas & Cherokee Dams Identified As Problematic For TVA

Douglas Dam – Staff Photo by Jeff Depew

More than a month after Tennessee Valley Authority began core testing at sites visible on Douglas Lake, the testing continues. Cherokee and Douglas Dams have been identified as problematic for TVA in their quest for licensing with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to bring Watts Bar Unit 2 Nuclear Reactor on line. In a conference call Friday afternoon, David Bowling-General Manager of Dam Safety Governance, Bill Sitton-Communication Consultant and Travis Brickey –Media Contact, addressed concerns regarding Douglas and Cherokee Dams in regard to pending licensing. Bowling stated that TVA is committed to Dam Safety across the Tennessee Valley and that multiple locations are in line for general health checks. He said that all TVA Dams are safe, however the Nuclear Regulatory Commission looks at worst case scenarios for the purpose of licensing. Douglas and Cherokee Dams are considered sister dams due to their closely mirrored construction. The NRC has concerns regarding their performance during a Probable Maximum Flood, which would be a worst case scenario according to Bowling. While the likelihood of such an event is small, the NRC is requiring modifications to Cherokee and Douglas Dams that would increase their ability to withstand such an event. Douglas and Cherokee are both critical upstream Dams from Watts Bar and any malfunction could be seriously impacting downstream. Cherokee Dam was one of several dams that was has had a temporary fix to raise the level of the dam, however the sand bag installation is not a permanent fix and will have to be addressed. Flooding in the Nashville area during recent years has required a more intense look at those dams that are paramount to the safety of Watts Barr. Douglas and Cherokee Dams were the only two that were named as problematic in a letter from the Watts Bar Unit 2 General Manager to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Unit 2 Nuclear Reactor is slotted to come on line in 2015 and issues at Douglas and Cherokee Dams must be addressed before that time. Bowling, Sitton and Brickey maintain that, while information derived from current core sampling will be used in the modification process to meet the NRC criteria, the health check is a part of business as usual for TVA. Bowling stated that modifications are in the engineering phase and that the general public may not be aware when corrective measures begin. Watts Bar Unit 2 is estimated to cost around $4.5 billion dollars and is about 20 % from completion.