TWRA wildlife officers responded on Sunday afternoon, to separate incidents involving occupants of canoes and kayaks in distress on the French Broad River in Knox County.
Officers received a call of two kayakers that had become stranded on an island near the Seven Island State Birding Park on the French Broad River.
While the officers were en route, they received a second call of two different individuals that had been ejected from a canoe in the same area and were clinging to a tree in the water. The kayakers were rescued by a passerby in a boat and taken to shore and witnesses on shore rescued the occupants of the canoe. Fortunately, all four individuals were wearing life jackets and did not sustain any injuries. The Knoxville Rescue Squad also responded to the incident.
TWRA Boating Officer Jeff Roberson says there were high water flows due to generation at Douglas Dam that created a swift current on the French Broad. He reminds paddlers to check the generation schedule on TVA's app/website at https://www.tva.com/environment/lake-levels and strongly encourages them to wear a life jacket at all times while engaging in water sports.