Tennessee Valley Authority
Fort Patrick Henry Reservoir
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Ecological health rating
Fort Patrick Henry Reservoir rated fair in 2005 monitoring by TVA.
Swimming advisories
The state of Tennessee has not issued any advisories against swimming in Fort Patrick Henry Reservoir.
Fish consumption advisories
The state of Tennessee has not issued any advisories against consuming fish from Fort Patrick Henry Reservoir.
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More about Fort Patrick Henry Reservoir
Sport
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the facts on the availability of important sport species.
General information
Monitoring
river conditions
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out how TVA evaluates the river system’s ecological health
and suitability for human use.
Ecological health rating
TVA monitored Fort Patrick Henry Reservoir annually from 1993 to 1997 to establish baseline data on the reservoir’s ecological health under a range of weather and flow conditions. The reservoir is now monitored every other year.
Fort Patrick Henry Reservoir rated fair in 2005. Ecological health for Fort Patrick Henry typically has rated fair or poor except in 2003, when it rated good due primarily to improved chlorophyll levels (see Chlorophyll below).
Fort Patrick Henry Reservoir Ecological Health Ratings, 1994-2005
Click chart for raw data.
The table below shows the ratings for individual ecological health indicators at Fort Patrick Henry in 2005. These ratings are briefly explained in the paragraphs that follow.
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Dissolved oxygen
Dissolved oxygen levels rated good, mostly because the reservoir’s small size and short residence time (how long water stays in the reservoir) prevent it from stratifying during the summer.
Chlorophyll
Elevated chlorophyll levels throughout late summer and autumn resulted in a poor rating for this indicator. Chlorophyll typically rates poor. Average chlorophyll concentrations in 2003 were the lowest to date and rated good for the first time. The average summer residence time has a substantial influence on chlorophyll by determining how much time algae have to grow. In 2003 the residence time was the shortest for the 1993-2005 period.
Fish
The fish community rated fair in 2005. This indicator typically rates poor or “low fair.” Monitoring consistently reveals a higher-than-expected proportion of species able to tolerate pollution or habitat degradation, such as gizzard shad.
Bottom life
Bottom life rated fair. Most of the animals found on the reservoir bottom were species able to tolerate pollution or habitat degradation, but the number and diversity of animals were relatively good.
Sediment
Sediment quality rated good. No pesticides or PCBs were detected, and concentrations of metals were within the expected background levels. Sediment quality typically rates fair due to low levels of chlordane, a pesticide previously used to control termites and crop pests.
Swimming advisories
TVA has not issued any swimming advisories for Fort Patrick Henry Reservoir.
E. coli bacteria levels in samples collected in 2007 were within the state of Tennessee’s guidelines for water contact with the following exceptions.
- Warrior Path State Park Beach: Exceeded the single sample maximum 1 of 10 sampling events
- Warrior Path State Park Swimming Site: Exceeded the single sample maximum 1 of 10 sampling events
The following sites were sampled in 2007:
Site Name |
Location |
County |
State |
|---|---|---|---|
Ford Town Bridge Boat Ramp |
South Holston River Mile 16.6 |
Sullivan |
TN |
Warrior Paths Marina Boat Ramp |
South Holston River Mile 11.8 |
Sullivan |
TN |
Warrior Path State Park Beach |
South Holston River Mile 11.8 |
Sullivan |
TN |
Warrior Path State Park Swim Site |
South Holston River Mile 11.8 |
Sullivan |
TN |
Fish consumption advisories
There are no fish consumption advisories for Fort Patrick Henry Reservoir. TVA collected channel catfish and largemouth bass from the reservoir for tissue analysis in fall 2005. The results, which were similar to those of previous years, will be provided to state agencies in Tennessee. TVA will analyze fish from Fort Patrick Henry again in the autumn of 2009.
