GRAND RIVERS, Ky. (WTVF) — To get inside, this involved winning a lottery and going through pretty extensive security, but for the lucky few, it was a chance to be a part of history.
"I didn’t really think that we’d really have a chance," said Stacie Street.
"They had, I guess like a lottery, where people signed up and they picked people. So yea — we’re excited we got chosen," said Audrey Bivins.
Audrey and Stacie are among 20 people, of all different ages, selected to get a tour of the mighty Kentucky Dam.
"We love a good field trip," said Street, who brought along her 6-year-old for the tour.
The engineering wonder on the water was open to the public for tours from its opening in the 1940s until 2001, when the September 11 Terror attacks caused TVA to dam up the flow of visitors. But in honor of TVA's 90th birthday, they're making an exception.
K.T. Duffy is the TVA Plant Manager at Kentucky Dam, who led part of the tour.
"I enjoy the challenge of this job. There’s always something to work on, there’s always something to fix," said Duffy.
He taught the group everything he could about the engineering marvel — from the massive cranes that lift up the spillway gates to how the power of water turns into power, we can use at home.
"A lot of people think that when these gates are open, that’s when we’re creating electricity. And so, then they come and actually see: oh there are generators in this building over here. That’s where the power comes from," Duffy said.
At about that moment, a loud siren started playing for two minutes. When you hear that sound, it means a new electric turbine is about to kick on and water is going to surge out on the outside of the dam. Often, you see fishing boats motor away before the water starts releasing.
But on the inside of the dam is where the magic is really happening. Due to safety and security reasons, an observation deck above the electric turbines is as far as NewsChannel 5 could take our camera, but photojournalist Dan Blommel and myself were able to go down three stories below to the bottom of the turbines.
We saw 1940s engineering still hard at work. Flowing water turn the turbines, which is transformed into electricity that flows out of the base of Kentucky Dam to power lines that go into your homes. Engineers work around the clock to make sure everything is functioning properly.
"I know that I could not be an engineer at TVA, but it was really interesting," said Bivins.
"The details they have to think about — it’s not just letting water in and out," said Street.
The tour only proved — the only thing more powerful than the force of water might be the thrill of a changed perspective.
"It’s hard to imagine the amount of history at this place and how long it has been here," said Duffy.
TVA is only opening up a handful of dams this summer for tours, and you have to be selected out of a lottery system of applicants. To register for the lottery system and read more information about the process, click here.
