News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Roaring River Dam will soon be a memory.
TWRA spokesman Mime Barnes said the dam will be removed later this month.
The exact date of the removal is dependent on weather and river conditions, Barnes said.
Removing the dam will allow for better swimming, fishing, and kayaking on the Roaring River. It should also expand habitats of fish and other wildlife, Barnes said.
“That area contains hellbenders which is the largest Tennessee salamander and if folks aren’t familiar with it, I really encourage them to look up this animal, it is the coolest animal that most folks don’t even know is living around them, it has the possibility to really allow that and other species a little bit of area to move,” Barnes said.
The dam was built to protect fish species upriver, but it hasn’t been effective. The dam needs repairs but instead, TWRA, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Nature Conservancy agreed to remove it.
The dam, located in Jackson County just a few miles before Cordell Hull Lake, was built in 1976.
