Lake Oahe "a memorandum and an executive order asking USACE to expedite its consideration of the company’s application for an easement to start construction." The USACE subsequently "withdrew its call for the environmental study." On 7 February 2017, the USACE approved an easement through Lake Oahe. On 9 February 2017, the Cheyenne River Sioux filed the first legal challenge to the easement, citing an 1851 treaty and interference with the religious practices of the tribe. Lake Oahe Lake Oahe (oh-WAH'-hee) is a large reservoir behind Oahe Dam on the Missouri River; it begins in central South Dakota and continues north into North
Hiwassee Dam bend in the river known as Fowler Bend. The dam is upstream from Apalachia Dam (which is near the Tennessee-North Carolina state line) and downstream from Chatuge Dam. Hiwassee Dam and its reservoir are surrounded by the Nantahala National Forest. Hiwassee Village, a small community that developed alongside the dam and reservoir, is located immediately south of Hiwassee Dam. North Carolina State Highway 1314 (Hiwassee Dam Access Road) crosses the top of the dam. Hiwassee Dam is a concrete gravity overflow dam high and long, and has a generating capacity of 185,000 kilowatts. The dam's spillway is controlled by seven