WALLAND, Tenn. — The mother of a 13-year-old girl who drowned at Peery's Mill Dam wants safety improvements at the historic site on the Little River in Blount County.
Peery's Mill Dam is a low-head dam. These types of dams have been labeled "drowning machines" by dam safety experts because they create deceptive currents that can trap swimmers. Several people have drowned in the vortexes created at Peery's Mill and other low-head dams throughout the country.
Hardin Valley Middle School student Alexis Shirley, 13, drowned in the Littler River one week ago. Her mother and the relatives of other drowning victims are asking for improved warning signs and other safety improvements.
But who owns Peery's Mill Dam and river-bottom in Blount County?
WBIR 10News contacted multiple local governments, state agencies, private land owners, and federal groups in an effort to identify the dam's owner. Nobody could determine who owns Peery's Mill Dam.
OWNERSHIP WATERS MUDDY
The Blount County Property Assessor's office said the property lines stop at the banks of the river. There are no listed owners for the river-bottom property where the dam sits in the Little River.
In some areas along the Little River, owners of riverside property also own a portion of the river-bottom. Not so at Peery's Mill. Tennessee's property GIS maps do not identify an owner, similar to other state right-of-way areas.
Multiple state agencies were unable to identify who owns the dam.
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) had no listed owner for the dam. Because the low-head dam is considered a weir, it is exempt from inspections by the state's safe dams program.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) operates a public boat ramp on the south bank of the river, but it could not identify who owns the river-bottom or the dam itself.
Federal organizations also provided no insight into who owns the dam or has the right to make alterations.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers does not list Peery's Mill in its National Inventory of Dams.
Peery's Mill Dam is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, but the National Park Service documents from 1989 and 1990 do not name an owner.
TVA's communications department told 10News none of its employees, including the managers at the river forecast center, were sure who owns or manages the dam at Peery's Mill.
The listed owner of the property on the south side of the dam where TWRA operates a public boat ramp and parking lot is "Government USA." A sign in the parking lot says the site was made possible by TVA and TWRA.
One of the owners of the private property on the north side of the river told WBIR 10News "nobody owns the dam." The property lines for the parcel on the north bank does not include the river or the dam.
Several people told WBIR 10News they believed "the state" owns the dam, but could not say with certainty what organization is responsible for managing that area of the river.
TDEC checked with the state historical society and the East Tennessee Historical Society, but no current owner was found for Peery's Mill Dam.
NAVIGABLE RIVER, HISTORIC SITE
Whoever owns the dam and river, they cannot stop people from boating or swimming at the site.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers considers the Little River to be a "navigable" body of water. That means it is can be used for commercial purposes and recreation. The navigable designation is why commercial tubing operations are allowed to float customers down the Little River through Townsend where many private property owners' deeds include the river-bottom.
Even if an owner is identified, it is not clear what kind of alterations can be made to the dam or the surrounding river due to its status as a historic site.
Retrofitted alterations have been made at other low-head dams to interrupt the deadly currents that swallow swimmers and boats.
Brigham Young University has conducted research on various types of retrofits that improve safety for people. Each site has other considerations, such as the impact on wildlife and fish.
WARNING SIGNS AND SAFETY CHANGES
Whoever owns Peery's Mill Dam, families of drowning victims at the site want signs to warn swimmers of the dangerous and deceptive water currents at low-head dams.
"I understand there's going to be danger everywhere. You can't bubble-wrap the world. But when there's a consistent problem of people getting trapped and drownings happening, there should be some kind of change," said Renee Ritchie, mother of drowning victim Alexis Shirley. "I would like to see something [changed] to the dam itself. I understand it's a historic landmark. But I think something like they've done in other low-head dam cases may help."
Until signs are in place to warn swimmers at Peery's Mill Dam, Ritchie said it feels like the popular spot will inevitably have another drowning.
"It's not just my family that this affects. It's everyone that was here that day that has the image burned into their mind. There needs to be some kind of change to prevent this from happening anymore," said Ritchie.
TWRA manages the public boat ramp, but does not regulate swimming in the Little River. Nonetheless, spokesperson Matt Cameron told WBIR 10News earlier this week the agency will look into the possibility of adding warning signs for swimmers.