Nolichucky River sees record flow after Helene moves through East TN

GREENE COUNTY, Tenn. ( WATE ) — The waters of the Nolichucky River in East Tennessee were reportedly receding Saturday, but not before rising to record-setting levels.

The Tennessee Valley Authority said that Nolichucky Dam was “stable and secure,” on Saturday according to a TVA Dam Safety team review. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) said in a Helene update Saturday that “TVA reported a Condition Red for the Nolichucky Dam; however, overnight levels have crested, and the dam remains intact. There are no reports of dam failures to date.”

A spokesperson with the TVA shared some context to the record-level water flow at Nolichucky Dam overnight Friday into Saturday.

“Max regulated release data exists dating to 1901.

Previous Record (1977) 82,000 CFS / 613,000 GPS
Last Night (approx 2-3 a.m. ET) 162,000 CFS / 1.2M GPS”

Tom Satkowiak, TVA East Region External Communications, on X, Sept. 28, 2024

CFS stands for cubic feet per second and GPS stands for gallons per second.

The TVA shared on Friday that it was releasing water using all of its available turbines from Douglas Dam due to high water volumes in the Nolichucky, French Broad and Pigeon rivers that were causing Douglas Lake levels to rise near capacity.

The Nolichucky River stretches 115 miles from North Carolina into East Tennessee, where it flows into the French Broad River. The Nolichucky Dam, which was completed in 1913, is located in Greene County, Tenn.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WATE 6 On Your Side.