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Buoy, that lake looks shallow…

By Max Hrenda

Some fishermen out there — those brave enough to face the pre-winter chill — may have noticed less of something out on Watauga Lake.

 

It’s not the fish; they’re still biting … occasionally. It’s not the birds; they haven’t flown further south … yet. It’s the one thing that makes a lake … well, a lake.

The Tennessee Valley Authority announced on Tuesday that water levels are being lowered well below their normal elevation.

TVA spokesman Travis Brickey said the reason for draining the lake was to repair or replace buoys.

“The buoys take some damage over time,” Brickey said. “Boats hit them, and time wears on them.”