National Dam Safety Awareness Day May 31

Safety and The Boone Dam Project

Boone Dam Image: Courtesy Tennessee Valley Authority

Each May 31 our country commemorates the day that 2,200 lives were lost in the tragic South Fork Dam failure (Johnstown Pennsylvania flood) of 1889. As time moves on the community around Boone Lake in Northeast Tennessee only recalls the Boone Dam project from the rearview mirror (if at all). No doubt lake residents try not to think about the six years when their water levels were brought down 10 feet below winter pool levels in order to fix the earthen embankment and assure the safety of the people downstream.

But each May 31, on National Dam Safety Awareness Day, I reflect on my time as the assigned communicator for the $400-million Boone Dam infrastructure project. Dam Safety was always top of mind on the project. Although my time as a TVA contractor came to an end in September 2022 and I moved on to other community relations relations projects since, I remember how we shared the project story with our community.

One of the most useful tools was a model dam. In order to help the project team as we traveled to civic clubs and school STEM programs, our engineers created a 3D printed tabletop model dam using LIDAR technology. People could easily see the scope of the project and the importance of safety in one glance. With the dam above, the South Fork Holston River below and the city of Kingsport and Eastman Chemical company built along the river, everyone from school children to wisened Kiwanians could easily grasp the importance of safety- just by looking at their expressions as they examined the model that had puzzle pieces for the dam and its associated “fix” (construction of an underground cutoff wall.)

As we enjoy this final weekend in May, it’s once again time for swimming, boating and fishing on Boone Lake. But I will take this day to recall what the project was ultimately all about - keeping people safe.

If you would like to purchase a copy of my book, “Fill the Dam Thing Up! Building Connections: Communicating Throughout the Lifecycle of Infrastructure Projects” the story of how we communicated the Boone Dam project, it is available in the Tri-Cities at The Generalist, the Jonesborough Visitor’s Center, The Johnson City Literary Depot, The Haven Booksellers, Hudson’s General Store, Maple Street Book Shop & Coffee House, Amazon and Ingram Sparks.