TVA reports that 2019 rainfall hits #2 record levels

by Steve Wiggins
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Wilson Dam’s floodgates are open and moving water

February 2019 Flooding

  CHATTANOOGA– The Tennessee Valley Authority reported in a media conference call this morning that 2019 was the 2nd highest rainfall year in the river system’s history. The record year for rainfall was 2018. The difference between the 2 years, there was less than an inch difference in rainfall.

February 2019 Flooding

According to the agency, the Tennessee River basin-wide total was 66.41″ for 2019. The total rainfall for 2018 was 67.02″ This number will probably come as no surprise to the cities and communities that lie adjacent to the Tennessee River, as flooding and high river levels have been quite apparent.

Darrell Guinn , TVA River Operations Support Manager

TVA River Operations Support Manager, Darrell Guinn told the Quad Cities Daily, that Pickwick Lake is moving water to prepare for the next two weeks of anticipated rainfall. The lake is expected to rise several feet because of the heavier-than-normal rains, “We are spilling excess water at dams on the Tennessee River, and we will be storing water in tributary dams to reduce flood levels downstream. The river level at Savannah, TN is currently above flood stage and will continue to rise with the predicted rainfall.” Guinn said that residents near Pickwick should pay close attention to National Weather Service forecasts for possible flooding. Wilson Lake is not expected to be subject to excessive flooding because of this heavy rainfall predictions.

Tom Barnett, River Management Director, told us that in the last 7 years the Tennessee River has had the top 3 years of river levels since the levels have been measured. He noted that the river levels were designed years ago for average rainfall levels, which have in recent seasons exceeded the predictions.

Tom Barnett, River Management General Manager (Left) & James Everett, River Forecast Center Senior Manager (Right)

February 2019 Flooding

February 2019 Flooding

According to TVA, which was formed after World War I to regulate river flooding and also to provide hydro-electric power, flooding is why winter drawdowns are so important. Residents near the river notice almost every year that the river recedes by several feet which prepares it for winter rainfall. In the last 2 years, what is normally a much more shallow river level has appeared to have stayed higher than normal. Preparing for recent rains, TVA reports that its River forecast Center has been spilling excess water at all 9 Tennessee river dams, and continues to release large amounts of water from tributary dams to recover and preserve flood storage at their higher elevations than the main river levels.

 

Even though The Shoals still suffered much flooding, it could have been worse.The TVA has estimated a dollar-cost breakdown of flood damage throughout its system that was averted from the big rain event of last February (2019).

  • Kingsport, TN – $20.1 million
  • Elizabethtown, TN $2.3-million
  • Knoxville, TN – $2.3 million
  • Clinton, TN – $66.9 million
  • Lenoir City, TN – $111-million
  • Chattanooga, TN – $1.4 billion
  • South Pittsburg, TN – $62 million
  • Decatur, AL – $22.4 million
  • Fayetville, TN – $29.9 million
  • Savannah, TN – $3.3 million
  • Shelbyville, TN $203 thousand

In summation, the record river levels from the February, 2019 storms could have been much worse in terms of damage. TVA’s totals show over $1.6 billion in damages were averted.

River and lake info: http://tva.me/13fh50xL9IG .

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