POWERGRAMS

50 develop land along the river," said Porter. Indeed, the development can be seen at places like Little Bridge Marina near Southside. The marina houses a popular restaurant, Local Joe's; a meeting and event space; and facilities for boaters such as launch ramps and a fuel dock. Then there's Coosa Landing, which hosts many fishing tournaments. "I think there's a fishing tournament every single weekend in June," said New. "At any given time you can drop by the Coosa Landing and see hundreds of fishermen going out or coming back from a tournament." "A lot of tournaments are won here by the fishing boat docks," said Jamie Horton, B.A.S.S. Nation state champion at Neely Henry in 1999. Horton said Logan Martin and Neely Henry are the two best dock lakes in Alabama. For Alabama Power, it's all part of the plan. "To obtain the license to operate any dam, Alabama Power is charged with developing a recreation plan," said Sheila Smith, Alabama Power's land supervisor for Corporate Real Estate. The company developed four public access areas for Neely Henry: Ten Islands Historic Park in Ragland, Tillison's Bend boat launch north of Gadsden, and two tailrace fishing access points just below the dam. "They generate thousands of users throughout the summer season," said Smith. "No electric power company has made possible more recreational centers for fishing, hunting, swimming, boating, skiing and camping than the Alabama Power Company," wrote Zipp Newman of The Birmingham News, according to historian Leah Rawls Atkins' seminal book "Developed for the Service of Alabama." Aside from its power generation, the Coosa River holds a special place in Alabama Power's heart. The company's first president was William Patrick Lay, a Coosa riverboat captain. In 1903, Lay sold his first small dam in Attalla, just east of Gadsden, "to devote my entire time to the Coosa," according to Atkins' book. Ninety-six years later, a Plant Gadsden employee began cleaning up debris from the water, an effort which caught fire and became Renew Our Rivers. Since that day, more than 14 million pounds of trash has been picked up by 100,000 volunteers from Alabama waterways. None of this history may have been on the minds of the tailrace fishermen gathered along the railing like birds on a wire. But they knew the conditions were right for some big scores. "I caught a 40-pound catfish last year," said Sherman Lane of Lincoln, who has fished these waters for 60 years. "Hope I can catch some more." Top left, Windham explains how the dam's new digital controls work; top right, tools used on turbines; bottom, fishermen visit Neely Henry Dam daily on foot and in boats.

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