The Melton Lake race course in Oak Ridge is a favorite among rowing enthusiasts and coaches.  Surrounded by the mountain ridges that give Oak Ridge her name, we have 30+ miles of sheltered row-able water.

The race course at Melton Lake supports small and large events, with a sheltered embayment able to house 60 team trailers, and six separate launch and recovery docks. The Athlete area is located close to the docks and spectators have the luxury of being able to view racing from the shaded shoreline for the full 2000meter race distance.

Our 2000m. spring course is fully equipped for championship level regattas and includes:

• Start Tower
• Alignment Platform
• Adjustable start fingers
• Visible signage identifying Start, 500m, 1000m, 1500m & Finish signage.
• Finish Line Referee Tower

Site History

In the 1920’s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers identified several potential dam locations within the lower Clinch Valley. At the time, the Clinch river flowed freely more than 300 miles from Virginia to the Tennessee River, near Watts’ Bar. The Tennessee Valley Authority first proposed the construction of the Melton Hill Lock and Dam in 1957, and its construction was funded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s administration in 1960.

Completed in 1963, the finished dam created a reservoir with nearly 193 miles of shoreline and 5,470 acres of water surface. Melton Hill is a ‘run-of-river’ reservoir, meaning that water is passed through the reservoir without being stored long-term. Melton Hill runs 57 miles to Norris Dam, above, with little variation in water elevation or pool.

The Oak Ridge Rowing venue, located 28 miles above the dam, is the beneficiary of this reservoir, using the straight and sheltered area at the northeast City limit for its sprint race course since 1978.

Improvements

In October 2016, the State of Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) issued the City of Oak Ridge a §401 Water Quality Certification – Aquatic Resource Alteration Permit for the Clinch River’s Melton Hill Reservoir. The scope of work described the excavation of 570 feet of shoreline and the construction of a revetment and retaining wall along that section of shoreline. The permit authorizes that activity pursuant to The Tennessee Water Quality Control Act of 1977 (T.C.A. §69-3-101 et seq.) and serves as §401 water quality certification pursuant to the Federal Clean Water Act 33 U.S.C. 1341.

The TDEC permit, in conjunction with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Section 26A and U.S. Corps of Engineers DA permit, completed the authority for widening of the 2000-meter sprint race course at the 0500-meter mark, significantly improving the venue, and allowing an additional racing lane.

Shoreline excavation began in November 2016, and the project was completed in February 2017. The retaining wall is integrated with the existing greenway, providing pedestrians and spectators a front-row view of the race course at the 0500-meter mark. Oak Ridge Rowing Association installed an additional 13.5-meter wide racing lane on the waterway in February and March 2017 as part of the official venue for larger regattas.