The painting program for the spillway gates and other structures at TVA's dams means much more than putting a pretty face on the facilities. It's a way to protect the dams and the environment. Before painting, they sandblast the gates and clean them up very well. And they use a lot of caulking materials to keep water intrusion out of the various areas where rust can occur.
Painting keeps the gates operating efficiently, protecting people and animal habitat below the dam.
Currently, crews are painting gates at Guntersville, Melton Hill and Wheeler. We want the best lead-free paint there is for the gates. They apply five coats, and the life of one of these paint jobs is about 10-15 years. With 420 spillway gates in TVA's hydro system, that means painting is going on almost continuously. Generally, vinyl paint is used on the upstream side of the dam, which is exposed to wear from the water, as well as the weather.