Last fall, Bill and I headed to Bristol, TN to watch the highly-anticipated Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee football game. Wanting to make a big weekend out of it, we arranged a mini kid-free (thanks grandparents) college reunion with old Tech buds where we rented 3 RVs between 18 of us. The weekend was amazing to say the least, and the perfect kick-off to an amazing Hokie football season.
Dam, Plant & Reservoir
Before everyone arrived to town on Friday, Bill and I explored the nearby South Holston Dam (918 South View Dam Dr), which consists of a reservoir, dam, hydroelectric plant, and weir. The TVA began construction of the South Holston Dam in 1942 as part of the Unified Development of the Tennessee River System plan, which set out to improve the poverty-stricken, often-flooded parts of the Tennessee Valley. Construction halted during World War II and the dam began operation in 1951. The dam is unique in that it’s an earth and rock-filled dam built in 30ft sections called berms to hold the massive potential energy of South Holston Reservoir. The dam is about 1600 ft across and 285 ft high with paved roads leading to an information center and parking lots at the top. The reservoir is huge – it has 168 miles of shoreline across two states and is a very popular recreational lake.
We parked at the top of the dam and walked across the paved section to catch the amazing views of the lake on one side and the downstream river on the other. As mentioned above, the dam helps with flood control, but also serves to generate hydroelectric power for the region. The dam regularly releases water – a loud siren blares about five minutes before alerting folks downstream and then the large turbine and generator crank.
Osceola Island
When water comes out of the dam it flows through weir dams and forks around Osecola Island before merging near the intersection of Holston Dam View Rd. In 1991 the TVA built weir dams south of the dam to increase oxygen in the water when the hydroelectric plant isn’t running. The extra oxygen improves the habitat for fish and vegetation. When we arrived early, the morning fog provided a beautiful backdrop for the fisherman wading in the river. We crossed the footbridge and walked the easy one-mile loop trail on Osceola Island where we saw beautiful herons, ducks, fish and more fisherman. The water level around Osecola Island is shallow, providing great spots for fly fishing.
We felt so grateful to spend quality time with old college buds in a beautiful part of the country. Being my first visit to Tennessee, I look forward to coming back and exploring more of the mountains and lakes.
Thumbs up: beautiful views, massiveness of earth and rock-filled dam, interesting information center at top of the dam, unique weir dams, convenient parking areas at top of dam and near Osceola Island
Thumbs down: nothing to report
