An EBCI led effort to reconnect the entire Qualla boundary and parts of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the lower Oconaluftee [Oh-con-uh-luf-tee] and Tuckasegee Rivers is one step closer to happening. Mainspring and Northbrook Carolina Hydro II have signed a Sale Agreement for the Ela Dam in Whittier, allowing Mainspring the option to acquire the entire structure and property if it determines dam removal is feasible, given available funding and approvals. Mainspring ED Jordan Smith praised the EBCI and Northbrook’s willingness to essentially contribute the property to the effort, calling it “truly a team effort.”
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