Tennessee Valley Authority
Parksville (Ocoee No. 1) Reservoir
Contents of this page
Ecological health rating
Parksville Reservoir rated fair in 2006 monitoring by TVA.
Swimming advisories
The state of Tennessee has not issued any advisories against swimming in Parksville Reservoir or in the Ocoee River, which flows into the reservoir.
Fish consumption advisories
State agencies have not issued any advisories against consuming fish from Parksville Reservoir.
Related Links
More about Parksville Reservoir
Sport
fishing ratings
Get
the facts on the availability of important sport species.
General information
Monitoring
river conditions
Find
out how TVA evaluates the river system’s ecological health
and suitability for human use.
Ecological health rating
TVA monitored Parksville Reservoir annually from 1991 through 1995 to establish baseline data on the reservoir’s ecological health under a range of weather and flow conditions. Parksville is now monitored every other year.
Parksville Reservoir rated good in 2006, with the highest score (76) to date. Bottom life exhibited a noticeable change between the 1994-2003 and 2005-2006 time periods. Although the variety of organisms remained low, there was a substantial increase in the number of individuals collected in 2005 and 2006. This led to higher scores for bottom life and contributed to the higher overall reservoir score.
Parksville Reservoir Ecological Health Ratings, 1994-2006
Click chart for raw data.
The table below shows the ratings for individual ecological health indicators at Parksville in 2006. These ratings are briefly explained in the paragraphs that follow.
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Dissolved oxygen
Dissolved oxygen rated fair in 2006 due to a small area of low DO near the reservoir bottom in late autumn. Dissolved oxygen rated fair for the first time in 2005, having rated good in all previous years.
Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll concentrations were quite low, as expected given the nutrient-poor soils in the surrounding watershed. That resulted in a good rating for this indicator.
Fish
The fish community rated fair, similar to most previous years. Overall density was relatively low and fewer fish species were collected than expected.
Bottom life
Bottom life rated “high fair” in both 2005 and 2006. The variety of animals found in samples taken from the reservoir bottom was low, but in 2005 and 2006 there was a notable increase in the number of individuals collected. Bottom life has rated either poor or “low fair” in all previous years
Sediment
Sediment quality remains the most important ecological health issue for Parksville Reservoir. Past mining practices in the Copper Basin left a legacy of very high concentrations of several metals: arsenic, copper, iron, lead, and zinc. In addition, elevated amounts of PCBs have been found historically in the sediment. PCBs, arsenic, and lead concentrations indicate a decreasing trend, although concentrations remain above normal levels.
Swimming advisories
TVA has not issued any swimming advisories for Parksville Reservoir or the Ocoee River.
E. coli bacteria levels in samples collected in 2007 were within the state of Tennessee’s guidelines for water contact.
The following sites were sampled in 2007:
Site Name |
Location |
County |
State |
|---|---|---|---|
Ocoee River at Power House #2 Bridge |
Ocoee River |
Polk |
TN |
Greasy Ceek Campground Beach (Parksville Lake Recreation Area) |
Ocoee River Mile 16.8R |
Polk |
TN |
Upstream of Floatway Canoe Take-Out Site |
Ocoee River Mile 19.7R |
Polk |
TN |
Floatway Canoe Take-Out Site at Caney Ceek Culvert |
Ocoee River Mile 19.5R, Caney Creek Mile 0.1 |
Polk |
TN |
Floatway Canoe Access Site below Dam # 2 (Rafting Stage Area) |
Ocoee River Mile 24.2R |
Polk |
TN |
Fish consumption advisories
There are no fish consumption advisories for Parksville Reservoir. TVA collected channel catfish and largemouth bass from Parksville 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 the reservoir again in autumn 2007.
