Q: When I started fishing at Lake Blue Ridge about 20 years ago, the full level was listed at 1,690 feet above sea level. It’s now listed at 1,687 feet. What has that changed?
— Walter Hyde, Winston
A: The Tennessee Valley Authority, which manages the Blue Ridge Reservoir, operates its reservoirs at around 1,687 feet elevation in the summer to "help support recreation and other uses while also providing flood storage capacity appropriate to the time of year," a TVA spokeswoman told Q&A on the News in an email. The water level might temporarily "reach higher elevations, but the target summer pool of around 1,687 has been in place for more than 20 years," she said. For more information, go to tva.gov/river/lakeinfo/op_guides/blueridge.htm or download the TVA Lake Info app for iPhone and Android devices.
Q: Before we taxpayers go batty and spend $8 million on studies on the bat that might delay the DOT projects in North Georgia, who detected the bat in Ellijay and when?
— George Murphy, Woodstock
A: Last May, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials tracked an endangered Indiana Bat from Tennessee to a tree in Ellijay using a radio sensor that had been glued to its neck. Detection of the bat might delay $459 million of Georgia DOT projects from metro Atlanta to North Georgia until officials can determine if it's alone or there's evidence of a larger community. Those studies could cost more than $8 million, and the state must take measures to protect the habitat if the project will "harm, kill or harass" the bats, DOT Chief Engineer Russell McMurry told the AJC.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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