North Carolina’s Division of Water Quality, which is part of the state’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources, recently issued a 401 water quality permit to Duke Energy for removal of the Dillsboro Dam on the Tuckasegee River.

The holdup in the Nantahala and Tuckasegee relicensing has been the result of a Catch 22 situation between the North Carolina Division of Water Quality and  Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), both of which had to issue permits in order for Duke to remove the Dillsboro Dam.

FERC announced their support for the removal of Dillsboro Dam back in July.  Receiving FERC, and now, Division of Water Quality support for dam removal is a huge milestone in restoring the Tuckasegee River.  

Removal of the Dillsboro dam is planned over the next 3 years and will reconnect two currently isolated sections of the biologically diverse Tuckasegee River.  The removal will benefit fish and mussels by increasing the available habitat and eliminate a significant genetic barrier. The removal will also benefit paddlers by restoring a river where today there is a mile-long sediment-filled reservoir and also by eliminating a mandatory portage and creating new river access opportunities. 

The dam removal is also a key piece of the Comprehensive Relicensing Settlement Agreement that AW and many other groups signed regarding the management of the Tuckasegee and Nantahala rivers. The Comprehensive Relicensing Settlement Agreement brings significant change to the headwaters of the Little Tennessee River with scheduled releases on the West Fork Tuckasegee and Nantahala Cascades in the works.

For local news coverage go to: http://thesylvaherald.com/html/dwq_gives_duke_go-ahead_on_rem.html