Groups and agencies look to restore Cherokee lands 100 years later.
Photo Above: Removal of this 1924 dam of the Oconaluftee River would improve conditions for two river species and enhance recreation on the river.
Photo Courtesy of Erin McCombs.
For centuries, the Oconaluftee River’s flow through what is now far western North Carolina was through the Cherokee land. A source of fresh water and fish, the river was a vital source of sustenance and cultural identity. In 1924, a concrete hydropower dam was built half a mile upstream from the river’s confluence with the Tuckasegee River, abruptly halting its flow—and aquatic wildlife migration routes.
Ela Dam is the only dam on the 550 stream miles of the Oconaluftee watershed, most of which lies in the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Qualla Boundary or the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Now, a group of nonprofits and state and federal agencies is working to remove the dam.
“The Cherokee have always had a strong relationship with water, and the Ela Dam has disconnected us for nearly a century,” says Joey Owle, Secretary of Agriculture for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who put the coalition together.
The state funded an initial assessment of the idea and the group is seeking federal money through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act to carry it through. Removing the dam would enhance outdoor recreation in the area and restore habitat for the sicklefin redhorse, listed in North Carolina as a threatened species and found only in a few rivers in Southern Appalachia. It would also improve conditions for the federally endangered Appalachian elktoe and the rare Eastern hellbender.
“With a team of exceptional partners, this is an opportunity of a lifetime for our people,” Owle says.
The story above first appeared in our September / October 2023 issue.
