Bear Creek water levels drop for winter

In the first week of November, Franklin Countians will possibly notice a slight reduction in the water level at Little Bear. The TVA wants the community to know, that drop is to be expected.

“If people see Little Bear go down, that’s normal,” said TVA public relations Scott Fiedler. “It’s normal for our winter drawdown.”

Fiedler said the water levels have to be manipulated carefully as TVA prepares for the winter months.

“In case lot of rain comes in, winter-type storms, this allows us to flex and absorb that water into the reservoir to avoid any type of flooding downstream,” he explained. “There’s usually a lot of run-off in winter because plants aren’t growing, so water that would usually be absorbed by the ground or plants runs off into the reservoir.”

For more information on Bear Creek water levels visit https://www.tva.gov/Environment/Lake-Levels/Bear-Creek.