Dillsboro could operate the dam, Walker says

By Rose Hooper

As part of its relicensing proposal to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Duke Power Co. has proposed removing the dam.

"I really feel Duke wants to get rid of the dam," Walker told the board at its Tuesday (Sept. 3) meeting. "I would like to see the town acquire it and operate it. We could form some form of cooperative and sell the power back to Duke."

"The way things are going in the Middle East, we may need to generate our own power," said Mayor Jean Hartbarger.

According to figures Walker cited, continued operation of the dam would save approximately 2,310 barrels of oil or 650 tons of coal per year. It would also eliminate additional sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from polluting the air, he said.

What Dillsboro has in its own backyard, Walker said, is a renewal source of clean energy for producing electricity.

"We are losing a portion of the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad operations; we don't need to lose the dam, too," Walker said. "The dam could earn the town revenue and become a focal point for the area."

Walker shared information that his neighbor Jerry Clayton had provided the stakeholders team. In it, Clayton countered the argument that removal of the dam would provide a "free-flowing" Tuckaseigee River.

"The free-flowing state of the river is still impeded by upstream dams," Clayton noted. "For almost 90 years, the Dillsboro dam, at its worst, affects less than 1 mile of river if the reservoir is included."

On the issue of the dam's removal allowing aquatic life access upstream, Clayton said a fish ladder could provide the same benefit.

In other business Tuesday, board member Jim Cochran said he would like the town to receive some "outside expertise on the fire tax matter."

"Surely other communities have faced the same situation we are facing; this can't be unique to Jackson County," Cochran said about the town of Sylva's request that Dillsboro assist financially with fire protection services.

Back to Archive: 09/05/02.