(Editor’s Note: This information has been excerpted from a Duke Power news release.)

Duke Power last week began lowering Cedar Cliff and Bear Creek Lakes below normal to allow maintenance on the floodgates at the dams.

Both lakes are reservoirs for hydroelectric plants on the East Fork of the Tuckasegee River in Jackson County.

Plans are to have both lakes 27 feet below full between Oct. 28 and Nov. 11. Normal November target elevations for Bear and Cedar Cliff are two feet below full.

“Because of the anticipated lowering and filling schedule, we expect boating access will likely not be possible on Bear Creek Lake after Oct. 11,” said Fred Alexander, Duke Power district manager. “Cedar Cliff access is currently blocked by a large amount of sediment that arrived this summer.”

Personnel from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s Engineering Services Division will remove the sediment from the Cedar Cliff boating access area.

“We regret this inconvenience, but believe this work needs to be done sooner rather than later,” Alexander said. “The floodgates are the primary tool used to deal with high flows that exceed the holding capacity of the reservoirs. Often they allow us to release less water than is coming in from storm flows and protect the dam. Obviously, this schedule will change if heavy storm waters come our way this fall.”