Lake Nottely Information and Facts

Frequently Asked Questions

I have beavers constructing a "hut" under my dock. What can I do about it?

Beaver on Lake Nottely Answer: Beavers constructing a "hut" under docks is not uncommon on our bigger lakes. This is a structure for them to live in, not to change water flows in any way. The hut will have an underwater entrance along the bottom. In fact, the beavers will commonly dig a ditch in the lake floor called a "run". This ditch will go under the side of the hut and open into a cavity of air inside where they'll stay. Advice: Don't try to outwork the beavers, you can't. Just remove sticks,etc. that are in the way of getting your boat in/out, etc. In order to get rid of 'em you really need a trapper to come catch them. This is usually with a body gripping trap set under the water level. Caution is required that no one swim or otherwise be in the water around the dock when these traps are set. These traps are powerful and can seriously injure/kill people & dogs too. Legally, beavers are not protected from any take given their nuisance nature. Therefore, you can legally trap or shoot them or destroy the hut at any time. Shooting is rarely safe or effective around the shore of a lake and may be in violation of local ordinances. Once a trapper gets rid of them, it should be possible to modify a dock to prevent reinfestation although this is rarely done. It would involve installation of hard slats across (metal, engineered material, treated wood), under the dock at or just below the water surface (a hut must project above the water level). Similarly the perimeter of the dock could be walled off down to the bottom similar to a sea wall which should prevent access anywhere under the dock. Both of these would seemingly be fairly extensive dock work. RipRap on the bottom under the dock should also dissuade them since they won't be able to make runs on the bottom there.Most folks just trap them out and clean up and take their chances in the future. Generally there isn't anything about one dock above many others, just a somewhat random choice. This will minimize the chances that beavers will choose you again in the near future.Check with TVA about trapping at your dock. Chances are good they have some allowance for this as this is a common need on many lakes. Good Luck!

I have heard that Lake Nottely is not as clean as Blue Ridge because the Nottely River flows through cow pastures, farm land, etc. Is this true? What is the cleanliness of Lake Nottely and what is being done to improve it?

Answer: Lake Blue Ridge's water shed is mostly National Forest. Since the water flowing into Nottely does flow through a significant amount of private land, the water quality has been adversely affected by human activities. The Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition is an excellent resource for information on the local area basins. The HRWC website can be found at www.HRWC.net. This is just one of the reasons why the LNIA works closely with the HRWC to monitor the water quality of the streams flowing into Lake Nottely. Another excellent resource for information is the TVA's Nottely Reservoir Ecological Health web page.

How much have the lake levels increased since the water management policies were changed by the TVA in 2004?

Answer: Under the TVA's new reservoir operations plan initiated in 2004, winter lake levels for Lake Nottely will to be 10 - 15 feet higher than lake levels observed prior to 2005.