Pickwick Lake Drawdown for Seismic Study

The Tennessee Valley Authority is accelerating the annual drawdown of the Pickwick Landing Reservoir located in West Tennessee, Northeast Mississippi and Northwest Alabama as a result of a recent “health check” inspection of Pickwick Landing Dam.

Initial results from testing and core drilling suggest a remote chance that the earthen embankment south of the concrete portion of the dam could be damaged by a large earthquake. Lower lake levels will allow TVA to conduct more detailed analysis and testing to determine what will be necessary to strengthen the south embankment against large seismic events. The Pickwick Landing area is only a few hundred miles from the New Madrid Seismic Zone along the Mississippi River.

“Public safety is our top priority,” said John McCormick, TVA vice president of River Operations. “Because large earthquakes can’t be predicted, we’re taking immediate action to enhance the continued safety of the public and our employees.”

Pickwick Landing Reservoir levels are expected to reach winter pool by mid-October, which is about six weeks earlier than normal. Property and marina owners with docks and boats will need to take necessary precautions for the early drawdown. Water levels downstream of Pickwick Landing Dam on the Kentucky Reservoir will not be affected. Up to date information about Pickwick Landing will be provided at www.tva.gov/pickwick.

TVA will be conducting the additional analysis of Pickwick Landing Dam over the next several months.

TVA began “health checks” of its 49 dams more than a year ago as part of a continuous improvement program. The study checks the integrity of the concrete and earthen embankments against today’s stringent industry standards.

Pickwick Landing Dam was designed and constructed in the 1930s. The concrete portion includes the powerhouse, spillways and two navigation locks with long earthen embankments on each side. The south embankment is about 4,000 feet long.

TVA reminds the public during this drawdown period that it is illegal to remove, disturb, dig or damage archaeological artifacts on federal property, including land normally covered by water.

TVA’s website provides up to date information about current lake level information at http://www.tva.com/river and on TVA’s free app for the iPad, iPhone and Android devices. Links to download the apps are available at http://www.tva.com/mobile.

The Tennessee Valley Authority is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power distributors serving 9 million people in parts of seven southeastern states. TVA receives no taxpayer funding, deriving virtually all of its revenues from sales of electricity. In addition to operating and investing its revenues in its electric system, TVA provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation.