An early morning mist hangs over the surface of Chatuge Reservoir. Golden trees along the water’s edge signal an end to summer.
While residents of the area walk their dogs along a reservoir path, enjoying the last bit of temperate weather before winter, a group of TVA employees gathers at the dam nearby.
This scenic recreation area, home to the Chatuge Dam, is a popular fishing spot – a demarcation between the gentle reservoir and vibrant Hiwassee River below.
When you think of TVA dams, you might first think of hydro technicians.
But there’s a larger cast of characters who help keep this site running.
TVA’s Facilities team – perhaps considered the bedrock of operations in the region – is responsible for an array of tasks that go beyond the bounds of traditional maintenance.
“They serve as our eyes in the field,” said Joshua Shinpaugh, Dam Safety Geologist. “They’re responsive, willing to try new things, and they do a great job at execution. They take our ideas and engineered elements and turn them into something aesthetically pleasing and well-built.”
This particular Facilities group covers six dams in North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. At Chatuge, they wait along the slope of the dam, ready to show off one of their latest projects.
This is a service group, with an emphasis on serve. The scope of their work encompasses everything from managing land and water assets – buoys and hazard markers, for instance – to maintaining switchyards and physical infrastructure.
This project, a custom-built weir, is one of the many undertakings that highlight the team’s proactive and creative role in the field.
A weir, which resembles a miniature dam, is used to manage and monitor water flow. Using design specifications from dam safety engineers, the Facilities team built a custom mold and poured the concrete structure in-house.
What began as a simple pipe replacement became a full-scale filtration and monitoring system that collects and measures water and enhances dam safety.
“This team prefabricated the weir,” said Mike Gahagan, South Central Regional Manager. “They poured it at our shop, excavated the foundation, transported the weir to the site, and set it in place for operation. We’re a really diverse group involved in everything from building roads to maintaining Transmission sites.”
Ask any one of these team members, and they’ll tell you their work at TVA is more than a job. It’s a calling.
“This is a close group,” said Scott Allen, Property and Grounds Supervisor. “We grew up neighbors. When I was younger, I looked at TVA and thought, ‘I’d like to be part of that someday.’ And lo and behold, I am. Dream come true.”
The Facilities team plays an integral role in TVA’s mission. They help create inviting places for the public to enjoy, they encourage thoughtful improvements across the enterprise, and they work consistently to broaden their skillset – always with an aim to uphold TVA’s mission of service in energy, environmental stewardship, and economic development.
“We’re a unique organization,” Mike said.
He gestured warmly toward the folks enjoying the recreation space along the Chatuge shoreline.
“We invite the public to come to our reservations,” he said. “It’s the front porch of TVA.”
Dream team
Facilities team members who contributed to the weir project at Chatuge were Scott Allen, Tim Worthy, Kolbe Dooley, Brandon Dockery, John Hicks, Cody Cole and Welsey Mason.
Caption: Pictured, left to right: FM South Central Regional Manager Mike Gahagan, Grounds Supervisor Scott Allen, and Facilities Property Workers Brandon Dockery, Kolbe Dooley and Tim Worthy.