TVA has proposed to construct a low-level discharge outlet near the spillway of Blue Ridge Dam in Fannin Co., GA. The current penstock that is used to carry water from the reservoir through the turbines of the power house has experienced structural damage due to age and environmental conditions. The discharge outlet construction will facilitate water flow while repairs are being made to the penstock. The construction of the discharge outlet will require tunnelling through the land adjacent to the dam, roadwork construction, and the disposal of excess waste in designated spoil disposal locations. Proposed spoil disposal locations include tracts near both the Blue Ridge and Nottely Reservoirs. An archaeological reconnaissance was conducted by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Cultural Resources staff at these locations in Fannin County and Union County, Georgia. This survey was conducted in compliance with Federal cultural resource regulations including 16 USC 470, under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, and 16 USC 479, under the Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974. The purpose of the survey was to locate, through systematic subsurface and surface investigation, any archaeological sites, historic or prehistoric in nature.
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