The TVA System usually draws down the lakes at the end of the summer to make room for the hoped-for spring thaw. This year there wasn't much to draw down. Most of the lakes in our area were low all summer following a three year drought. 
The photo above shows the dried-up swimming area at Shook Branch Recreation Area on Watauga Lake. To the right is a chart from the TVA website comparing this year's rainfall in the TVA valley to a normal year. Click here for an interesting discussion about the drought in the Johnson City Press with a TVA official.Head on over to Hiking Bill's website to see a photo of the unusually low water flow over Laurel Falls.
It seems to rain every time I head to Watauga Lake so maybe the TVA is pulling some shenanigans with water levels that keep Boone Lake (its million dollar homes and more politically connected folks) levels artificially high while sacrificing Holston and Watauga reservoirs where they started to draw down levels in May instead of July. Meanwhile Boone Lake stayed full until September - I think something fishy is going on here.
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