TVA officials said a lot of water is going past Chickamauga Dam, and boaters should use caution.
Officials said, "As we head into the holiday weekend, we just want to remind everyone to be safe as they enjoy water activities. The Chattanooga area has received anywhere from 2.5”-3.5” of rainfall since Monday. Some locations may have seen higher totals, such as north Georgia which has received 4”- 5” over the same period.
"Chickamauga Reservoir is currently a little higher than normal for this time of year at elevation 683.2’. Normal operating range for this time is elevation 681.5’-682.5’. We are currently releasing 74,000 cfs (cubic feet per second) – that’s more than 33 million gallons per minute! The current forecast for Chickamauga reservoir shows the elevation will be falling into normal operating range this weekend as we continue to maintain the current release rate of through the Memorial Day weekend.
"We anticipate flows will continue to decrease next week as we recover flood storage on the tributaries of the system and return main river lakes to normal operating range.
"Boaters should use caution near the dam and be aware of warning indications such as lights or sirens."