Lake Hiwassee Water Levels Lower in October

Posted by John Poltrock on

Lake Hiwassee in Murphy NC is operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and controlled by the Hiwassee Dam. It’s quite a sight to see! During the off-season, the lake is lowered to control flooding further downstream. Years ago, Nashville and nearby areas were flooding and it was amazing how fast the lake levels shot up to hold water back and keep the flooding from being worse. It’s an amazing engineering feat to be able to do that!

One question I often get is, “what does it look like when Lake Hiwassee water goes down?” There’s no better way to show you than on video! Click play below and see the lake. Want to own a mountain lake home? Let us know or search online! Most of the homes on the water are in Bear Paw Resort. I personally own a home there and wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s quite an amazing place!

The Nottley River of Murphy, North Carolina

Posted by I Love Murphy on

The Nottley River  in Murphy, North Carolina is unique since it a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) river. It is small and very clean. Nottley Dam is about 4 miles upstream, and development on the river is well managed. This means muddy runoff is not a problem and quickly runs clean after a rain. Despite increasing population on much of the river, most of the riverfront property is amazingly private. It is a great river with lots of opportunity to fish, relax, and even invest in real estate right on the river itself.

Wildlife on Nottley River
Because of the stable climate in the Murphy, NC area,  wildlife is abundant along the banks of the Nottley River. [Click the link for information on each animal provided by Wikipedia]  Beaver and otter are seen in addition to raccoon, opossum, groundhog, turkey, and deer. A gorgeous selection of birds can be seen throughout the year. Indigo buntings stay all summer along with tiny hummingbirds. Goldfinches can be found all year long and put on a beautiful show. Titmouses, bluebirds, house finches, and wrens are here all year along with chickadees. There are many bright red cardinals, which also happen to be the state bird of North Carolina. There are also two kinds nuthatches. Junkos are a nice addition in the winer as well are the geese and ducks that fly into local lakes. There are red-breasted and pileated woodpeckers, and in May, there are even some migrating cedar waxwings.

 

Fishing on Nottley River

For the trout fisherman, the Nottley River has a special interest. It is not stocked, but supports quite a population of wild rainbow trout, which is unique to our area. The spawn is in April. Access to the river is limited and there is little to no pressure of over fishing. Significant hatches of small grey caddis (sizes 16-18) occur in March to April and caddis (all day) and baetis mayflies (sundown) hatch all summer. Use this link for details of water releases from the TVA dams.

What Creates the Nottley River?

The Nottley River flows from Lake Nottley, which is a dam controlled lake formed by the TVA. It flows roughly 40 miles and spills in to Lake Hiwassee in Murphy NC.Murphy NC Area River Basins

Chances of Flooding on the Nottley River

Since Nottley River is dam controlled by the TVA, the chances of flooding are virtually non-existent. It has had extensive flood studies on the surrounding land on the River, and the annual chance of flood hazard is 0.2% chance according to the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Information System. With less than a 1% chance of flooding, the Nottley River is a very safe river to own real estate on compared to many of the others.

Real Estate on Nottley River

There are a lot of opportunities to own both homes and land with Nottley River frontage. One of best aspects of Nottley is your river property actually runs to the centerline of the river – meaning you actually own part of the river itself.

We have a Nottley River Front development in Murphy NC with several river front lots and all interior lots have river access from the common area. We would be happy to search for both homes and land for you and email them directly to you. Please use our Murphy NC Dream Home Finder and we’ll do the work for you!

You are also welcome to use our Murphy NC and Cherokee County MLS Homes and Land Real Estate Search function to see what’s available right on your computer.

John Poltrock, Certified Residential Specialist – www.MyMurphy.com – Email at JohnPoltrock@gmail.com – Call us Toll-Free at 1-866- Murphy-NC or 1-866-687-7496

Your Order’s Ready! Nottley River Lots Coming Right Up! – A previous post with some of this information

 

Lake Hiwassee Information – Located in Cherokee County by Murphy NC

Posted by I Love Murphy on

The Hiwassee Dam began construction on July 15, 1936. being 1376 feet long, it is quite an impressive structure. You can actually drive over the dam itself on Hiwassee Dam Access Road (off of Highway 294). Now over 70 years later, the Hiwassee Lake has become the gorgeous lake that we all now know. This article has some great “technical” information about the lake that is sometimes hard to find all in one place.

Impounded in 1940, Hiwassee was originally known as “Fowler Bend.” The name was later changed to reflect the name of the river which it is located on.

According to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), it is 6,090 acres and located close to the center of Cherokee County, North Carolina (according to the Cherokee County Mapping Department, the actual lake 5,635.28 acres. With less than a 500 acre variation, that could be attributed to shoreline variations, etc.). From end to end, it is roughly 22 miles long and has over 163 miles of shoreline. There are many sections that are more than 200 feet deep! It’s quite a large lake with plenty of room to enjoy for boating and fishing. One of the most unique things about the lake is that only 7% of it has development! During the summer, the TVA targets to have the lake levels at 1515 to 1521 feet. On January 1, they shoot for around 1460. They try to maintain recreational levels from June 1st to August ST, with the exceptions of emergencies.

The lake is used primarily for power generation and regional flood control. Because of the flood control component, this is why the water level fluctuates. The TVA aims to have peak water level from June 1st through August 1st. It’s during the off season you see the water level drop 30-40 feet for flood control purposes. What’s amazing is it has an approximate flood water capacity of 3.6 billion gallons of water. One of the interesting things about the dam itself is that it has the ability to reverse flow and pump water back into the lake.

With only 7% of the land being developed, there is very little on the lake other than nature itself. The TVA transferred most of its original holdings to the U.S. Forest Service for it to be part of the Nantahala Forest, but kept lands in the Hiwassee Dam Reservation, the Micken branch area, and some land in Murphy. The majority of development on the lake is in Bear Paw Resort.

The TVA owns rights in one form or another up to the 1532 elevation, which means before you can do anything on the shoreline (dock, etc.) you must approve it with them.

For recreation, you have lots of options! There are four main marinas on Lake Hiwassee – Shooks, Dukes, Mountain View, and Harbor Cove. They provide boat rentals, fishing supplies, snacks, fuel, and much more. Not only that, the Hanging Dog Campground area has the best boat ramp on the lake. The US Forest Service offers several other boat launches that are completely free to use. Nice!

To get more information, contact the Hiwassee Watershed Team located at 221 Old Ranger Road; Murphy, NC 28906. You can call them at 828-837-7395

Looking for Real Estate? Let The Poltrock Team help you! Feel free to contact us any time, Search ALL the listings for sale in Murphy NC, or use our Dream Home Finder and let us do the work for you!

John Poltrock – The Poltrock Team – www.MyMurphy.com – JohnPoltrock@gmail.com – Call Toll-Free (866) 687-7496 and demand The POLTROCK TEAM at REMAX Mountain Properties of Murphy North Carolina

Chatuge Lake Information

Posted by I Love Murphy on
Lake Chatuge is one of the gorgeous mountain lakes. In fact, it is likely one of the most visited in our local area. According to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), it is their 4th most developed lake in their system with 42% developed in some form. It is situated in Clay County North Carolina and Towns County Georgia. It was impounded in 1942 and is 13 miles long. With over 130 miles of shoreline and consisting of over 7,000 acres.

It is primarily used by the TVA for power generation and flood control, which is why the water table fluctuates throughout the year. During the summer, it is targeted to have between 1923 and 1927 feet.  The TVA tries to have  the water table to "recreational levels" on June 1st and maintain that through August 1st.

Something interesting is that the TVA owns land or land rights in some form to the 1933 elevation around the entire lake. If you would like to alter the shoreline at all, the TVA MUST approve it. The TVA Hiwassee Watershed Team is available to do any kind of permitting or any of the sort at 221 Old Ranger Road in Murphy North Carolina. You can call them at (828) 837-7395.

Approximately half of the land is owned by a government entity – The US Forest Service, the TVA, and various county land. For example, 44 acres of property consists of the Georgia Mountain State Fairgrounds.

More information about much of this can be obtained directly from the TVA by calling 1-800-TVA-LAND.

John and Jessica Poltrock – The POLTROCK TEAM at RE/MAX of Murphy, NC – www.MyMurphy.com – Call Toll Free 877-837-3002 and demand The POLTROCK TEAM!! – JohnPoltrock@gmail.com

The Benefits and Beauty of Lake Hiwassee

Posted by I Love Murphy on

Lake Hiwassee is a beautiful lake situated in the mountains of Murphy, North Carolina. Being the largest lake in Cherokee County, it offers a lot to boaters, fisherman, campers, and more. It takes up 6,280 acres and is made by dams on either end. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is the government agency responsible for regulating and maintaining its integrity.

Almost entirely surrounded by U.S. Forest Service, there is very little land available on the lake itself. In order to find a lake lot or home, you almost have to buy in Bear Paw Resort in the Hiwassee Dam area of our county. Many of the lake houses have an amazing view of the water and look on to Forest Service land on the other side of the lake. Because of that, their view will likely remain natural for our lifetimes.

Many skiers love the lake because the water is like glass most of the time. The mountains and fingers on the lake keep it smooth and prevents it from being choppy like many lakes with large open channels. It starts close to downtown Murphy and extends for 22 miles. Since it is surrounded by the Forest Service, you can camp all along the shoreline. Not only that, it is not heavily trafficked since their are very few homes on the water. It truly is a place where you can take your family and be safe, comfortable, and have a good time.

*Note* – You will find a common misspelling reading Lake Hiawassee.

You can also read our newer article with more specifics on Lake Hiwassee in Murphy, North Carolina