‘The lake is everything’: Georgia town fears dam repair will sink economy

“The lake is our gem,” said Towns County Commissioner Cliff Bradshaw. “It’s everything to us. Without the lake, the county wouldn’t be what it is today.”

The Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in 1942 to create the reservoir straddling the Georgia–North Carolina border, warns the structure’s aging spillway may not withstand a major storm — a growing concern as climate change brings heavier, more frequent rains.

Last year, Hurricane Helene largely spared Lake Chatuge, but it caused widespread damage elsewhere in Georgia and North Carolina — a reminder, TVA project manager Chris Saucier said, of what’s possible.

“It’s the kind of event — the unusual storm event that can happen, that’s pretty rare — is what we’re looking out for,” he said earlier this month during a virtual public meeting.

Spanning roughly 13 miles in length with 132 miles of shoreline, Lake Chatuge is more than a scenic retreat. It serves as a crucial source of flood control, hydroelectric power, drinking water for Hiawassee — and, just as importantly, it fuels the local economy.

Towns County in Georgia has a population of roughly 12,000, a number that swells each summer as tourists flock to the lake and mountain trails. Since 2021, visitors have spent between $90 million and $100 million annually in the area, generating about $6 million each year in state and local taxes, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

“That helps keep our property taxes lower,” said Julie Payne, president of the Lake Chatuge Chamber of Commerce.

Over Memorial Day weekend, the lake was brimming with visitors. At the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds, more than 200 campsites were booked. The Ridges Resort & Marina reported no vacancies, its nearly 70 rooms and villas filled with families and boaters. The town’s public beach, enhanced with a recently opened splash pad, remained crowded in between passing rain showers.

The TVA ends a public comment phase on Wednesday and is months away from drafting a plan. A final decision on the course of action isn’t expected for more than a year, and construction will not begin until at least 2027. Engineers are weighing at least five options — some aimed at reinforcing the current spillway, others requiring the construction of a new one entirely.

Some residents, including Dwayne Phillips, say they’re cautiously optimistic the TVA’s estimates are worst-case scenarios with potential alternatives that involve offseason work to protect summer lake levels.

“The TVA has been receptive to our feedback,” said Phillips, owner of Lake Chatuge Marine. “But we just don’t know what they’re thinking.”

Phillips said fuel sales were nonstop, and his 14-watercraft rental fleet was fully booked over the holiday weekend. But amid the busy rush, customers pulling up in boats often asked about the TVA’s plans.

“We’re already getting calls from people in Atlanta asking if we still have a lake,” he said. “They’re saying, ‘We want to come there, and we’re worried — is the lake gone?’”

U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, whose district includes Towns County, met with TVA officials and Bradshaw at Chatuge Dam earlier this month. In a statement, he said he hopes to find “a solution that effectively balances the safety of spillway operations and the continued economic prosperity of our North Georgia community.”

Saucier said the project could cost tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars and that, while long timelines are a possibility, nothing is set in stone.

“There are a lot of opportunities to bring those durations down,” he said.

For now, residents are left to wait — and to wonder whether future summers will look like the one playing out now.

“We’re hoping and praying they come back with something we can work with,” Bradshaw said. “We just have to wait and see.”