MINERAL BLUFF, Ga. – With safety of the public and its employees a top priority, TVA installed a new siren/warning system this spring at Blue Ridge Dam. TVA’s goal is to add to existing safeguards for downstream communities in the event of an emergency.

The siren/warning system is a result of a multi year assessment that looked at all of TVA’s major dams. Sirens would only activate in the unlikely event of an impending dam failure as a result of an extreme natural event such as a major earthquake or flood.

 “TVA takes dam safety extremely seriously,”  said General Manager Dam Safety, Jennifer Dodd. “We have 88 years of experience operating and maintaining one of the largest dam systems in the nation, and we use that expertise to maximize public safety.”

Since 2010, TVA has invested about $900 million in dam safety projects across the Tennessee Valley.  The installation of the siren/warning system is one compoment of the ongoing, dam safety program underway at Blue Ridge Dam.

TVA is working closely with Fannin County Emergency Management Agency on this project and coordinating with them on the placement of the sirens. Sirens were placed in Tammen Park, Mineral Bluff, on Toccoa River Forrest Road, and in McCaysville in March of 2022. TVA will maintain the sirens and test them annually to ensure they work as designed.

For more information and a map of the siren locations, please visit the TVA Blue Ridge Dam website at Blue Ridge (tva.com). Sign up for notices from Fannin County Emergency Alerts at Emergency Management Agency - Fannin County Georgia Government (fannincountyga.com).

For more information about TVA and its 88-year mission of service to the Tennessee Valley, click here.