Herald photo by Rose Hooper
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Drivers did doubletakes as they passed the Dillsboro dam last Friday and noticed the lack of water flowing over the spillway. "We're experiencing a drought," said Fred Alexander, district manager for Nantahala Power and Light Co., which owns the dam and power house in Dillsboro. "When we have a drought, less water ends up in the river. The earth is dry and it absorbs a higher percentage of the water so less rain reaches the river." This is the third consecutive summer of drought, Alexander said. Company records indicate that NP&L's hydroelectric generation is down about 50 percent so far this year.
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