Oak Ridge Rowing Course Repair

As you may have heard,  significant rainfall swept through the Southeast on Friday, April 21 through Sunday, April 23. On April 25, 2017, the Tennessee Valley Authority opened all three spillways at Norris Dam, 30 miles above the Melton Hill Lake venue. In less than eight hours, water conditions degraded from a dead-calm normal elevation pool to a raging flow of more than 12,000 cubic feet per second (ft3/s). That flow continued to climb, peaking at more than 20,000 ft3/s, or about 10 million gallons per minute. 

With such increase in water flow, not only did it create unsafe conditions for rowers to race in during the annual Dogwood Junior Championship Regatta, forcing us to cancel the race, but this resulted in incredible damage to Oak Ridge Rowing Association's 2000 meter course.   

Oak Ridge Rowing Association needs to purchase brand new cable, lane lines and buoys, which can be very costly. 

Volunteers from Oak Ridge Rowing Association, the City of Oak Ridge, the State of Tennessee and many rowing programs have graciously been offering assistance physically and financially.  We are so appreciative of everyone who has chipped in and offered well wishes. 

Because of these unintended expenses as a result of the damage, Oak Ridge Rowing Association continues to need your financial assistance!

We appreciate all your help. 




-Oak Ridge Rowing Association