Possible Good News on the Cheoah (NC)

The state of North Carolina recently filed their water quality permit for the dams controlling the Cheaoh River and the Little Tennessee rivers.  The permit closely mirrors the settlement agreement for the relicensing of those dams, however does not include controversial language from the settlement agreement that would require the public to pay the power company for recreational releases.   

The permit (like the settlement agreement) requires the power company (Tapoco) to provide 15-18 annual boatable releases on a five year rotating schedule for the entire license.  After the first five years of releases, resource agencies will assess the biological recovery of the river and will consider the addition of more boatable releases.  Under the settlement agreement the public would have to pay for these additional releases – which is why American Whitewater would not sign the settlement.  We are happy to report that the state water quality permit does require the consideration of additional releases, but does not mention the contested payment for water.  Of equal importance, the recently released FERC Environmental Assessment also requires the consideration of additional releases, but states that the costs of all required releases will be paid by the power company alone – through foregone generation. 

FERC is due to issue a new License for this project in February of 2005, now just two months away.  The license will likely resolve many outstanding issues and will give us a high degree of certainty over the future management of the Cheoah River.  These recent documents indicate that paddlers’ interests may finally be met to some degree by the new license, which is good news for all of us.  We are anxiously awaiting the license.   

American Whitewater will share the results of the new license on our website in february. 

At least for now, we expect the first Cheoah River releases to begin in the fall of 2005, and the first full season of Cheoah releases to be 2006.  

You can read the water quality permit at: