20030179 Ver 6_Public Comments_20070925

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September, 25, 2007
N.C. Division of Water Quality
401 /Wetlands Unit
1650 Maizt Service Center
Raleigh, Ne 27699-165a
Pey~y c;ro~~~ Center • 3~s South ~'tfth Street • Higl~land5, NC 28; ~~ 1
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Attn: John Doz'ney -Via Fax: 919-733-b893
Re: Removal of Dillsbom Dam
Dear Sir:
The Jackson-Macon Conservation Alliance has serious concerns about remaval of the
Dillsbaxa Assn because of historical, economic, culttnal and envimntnental impacts that
said removal will cause.
The Dillsbara Dam has served the Dillsbaxa-Sy1va at~ea sit~:ce early in the 20~ Century,
pxaviding the first satu~ce of electrical generation is the area. The dam. has evolved to the
present structure and although its capacity to generate electrical power has been bypassed
by more nsoderzt facilities, the dam still has the potential to generate "green power', a
concept that ~vvas ignored itu tlae Duke relicertsing process and by the Federal Energy
RCgulatvry Corrunission in giving approval to remove the dam.
The economic signif canoe of the dam has also been underrated. There is a parking lot
anal viewing area adjacent to the dam. that enables visitors and residents to view and enjoy
the sound of water at the dam. It also represents a fisluing site by many local residents.
Without a doubt the dam has been a major tourist site during its life span aztd .helped
support the local economy.
From its historical presence the I)illsboro darn. has been a cultural asset that has evolved
into a symbol of the Town. of" Dillsboro. Retxxaval of the darn, we believe will negatively
impact all of the factors noted above and be of no beneFit to the commurn'tty. Some dams
eve long passed useful life, but we do not believe that the Dillsboro dam is such a
facility
Any consideration. of removal of floe Dillsboro dana should ihorougbly assess the impact
of the 100,000 +/- cubic yards of silt that has collected behind the dam. It is vvarth noting
that it would have been prudent, over the life of the daml, to remove the sediments in
order to maintain a full pool. This would have contributed positively to the ability to
maintain the useful life of the power plant and improve the xecXeatior~al opportunities of
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SEP-25-20D7 TUE 13:53 TEL:[phone]$93 NAME:DWQ-WETLANDS
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the impoundment. This unfortunately not been the. case and there is now a potential for
major e~nvironmet~tal impacts with imprudent dam removal.
Should the dam be approved far removal, ara izt-depth study of the impact of the Removal
should be a required. The scope of the study should include assessment of all FITS
(.protected, endangered and threatened species) in the Tuckasegee from the darn tp f,aka
pontana. in addition an environmerrtal impact study shnuld be made of the potential
changes to the `Tuckasegee River that would result from the release of any sedi.merAt from
the behind the Dillsbaro Darn. 't'here should be assessments of the further impacts from
the release of chennical compounds and metals that may be part afthe sediments and
ct~uld be released dowry stream..
if the dam is to be removed all sediments behind the clam. must be removed prior to
removal ol'the darn. Tlx$ removal could proceed incrernentatly with removal of the darn,
but any release of sediment dung this process should be prohibited as a condition to
permittizag dam .removal.
In addition, if removal is approved, the perixiit for removal should include a requirement
1'or removal of all sediment to historical stream banks that existed prior to construction of
the dam. Leaving any sediment above the darns would be inhererrtly unstable. This is the
only way to assure that the Tuckasegee River is indeed a free flowing river.
Finally, we are opposed to removal of the Dillsbora dam for the reasons enumerated
above. Developing the dam and powerhouse, we believe has mare overall berael=ats than
removal. if it necessary to remove tlxe dam, then we respectfully that the
recommendations noted above be considered.
Nlnst sincerely,
.~
David M bates
Executive Director
bile: ,j;mca/Dillsboro dam
SEP-25-2007 TUE 13:53 TEL:[phone] NAME:DWQ-WETLANDS P. 2