Officials with TVA say that if the area doesn’t receive between 6 and 10 inches of rain, the lakes in the area will be lower than normal. The officials say that the agency is currently releasing as little as possible and still maintain aquatic life downstream and to provide water supplies for the towns downstream from the dams. TVA officials say that boaters and those using jet skis should pay attention as there are some trees still perturbing out of the lake in some areas. Tims Ford and Normandy reservoirs are six feet below the normal level for this time of the year. The U.S. Drought Monitor states that the areas around Shelbyville, Winchester, Tullahoma and Manchester are having their driest period ever on record. The first 28 days of May have been the tenth driest on record. Runoff is 17 percent of normal and the lowest recorded for the area.
However, the two reservoirs are still two feet higher than during the drought of 2007.