AUTHORIZATION: Tennessee Valley Authority Act of 1933 (PL 73-17)

TYPE OF PROJECT: Navigation Locks & Dams

LOCATION: Tennessee River-Nashville District

CONGRESSIONAL INTEREST:  Whitfield KY-01, Blackburn TN-07, Brooks, AL-5, Aderholt AL-04, DesJalais TN-04, Fleischmann TN-03, Sessions (AL), Shelby (AL), Corker (TN), Alexander (TN), McConnell (KY) and Paul (KY)

BACKGROUND:

·        Ever since Native Americans and fur traders first loaded canoes, the Tennessee River has been an important mode of transportation. But it came with its own set of problems: low water and navigation hazards such as swift currents and rocky shoals. Periodic floods and droughts made travel up and down the river even more difficult. As the population of the Valley grew, so did the region’s commerce. The lure of reliable water transportation was finally strong enough to justify the challenge of improving the river for navigation. Along with flood control and hydropower generation, navigation was one of the main objectives for managing the river—putting it to work for the people of the Valley.

·        Wilson Lock and Dam is the only operating project that was built by the Corps of Engineers on the Tennessee River opening in 1927.  Wilson Main Chamber is 110 feet by 600 feet and was the highest lift lock in the world at 98 feet upon its completion in 1959. The largest lock, at Pickwick Dam, is 110 feet wide and 1,000 feet long. The lock at Kentucky Dam is the busiest on the entire system, handling about 35 million tons of river freight per year. The locks at Nickajack, Guntersville, Wheeler, Wilson, Pickwick and Kentucky dams operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Chickamauga, Fort Loudoun, Melton Hill and Watts Bar dams are opened at reduced hours of operation with locking at Melton Hill by appointment. All locks on the Tennessee River are available for use without charge.

·        The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, TVA and the U.S. Coast Guard work together to provide safe and reliable passage for commercial and recreational vessels on the Tennessee River. The Tennessee River system today is managed through a series of 10 locks and dams owned by TVA, and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Over 650 miles of commercial channel and locks is maintained by the Corps of Engineers on the River by conducting surveys, dredging operations and maintenance where needed.

IMPORTANCE:

·        The largest tributary of the Ohio River, the Tennessee is part of the nation’s Inland Waterway System. These interconnected river routes cover 11,000 miles and serve to strategically link geographic areas, major markets, suppliers of raw materials, processors and consumers.

·        Navigation has contributed greatly to the economic and industrial development of the Tennessee Valley as a whole the economies of cities like Decatur and Chattanooga would not be as dynamic as they are today, were it not for the Tennessee River.

·        The economies of water transportation are clear: Products that are made from commodities shipped in bulk quantities would cost more without the use of the river as transport. The River’s availability as a competitive transportation option also helps to keep truck and rail prices down.

·        Because one barge can transport as much cargo as 15 rail cars or 60 tractor-trailers, waterway transportation benefits the environment. It reduces fuel consumption and emissions, and makes the roads safer by keeping more trucks off of the highways.

·        There are 85 Corps employees working at our Locks on the Tennessee River, ensuring our Locks are maintained financially and operationally.

·        Every year our Locks provide passage for over 40 million tons of goods that is shipped along the Tennessee River from Grain to Steel, and Chemicals and even products for our nation’s defense.

·        The Tennessee River also is a great resource area for recreation, with a total of 12,500 recreational craft locked each year at our facilities.

STATUS:

·        Today the Tennessee River not only has provided a vast resource for transportation of goods, but it also has become a great producer of electricity from the hydro plants.  It also acts as a tremendous water storage reserve from the lakes providing water to the Ohio and Mississippi River basins.

·        The lower Mississippi River would be less mighty today if not for the water storage reservoirs along the Tennessee River and its tributaries that provide a stream of water management benefits.

BUDGET ($): Estimated project costs are shown below.

SCHEDULE:

FY 2011 Completed Work: Executed Stimulus money along with completion of various dewatering and major projects.

FY 2012 Scheduled Work: Various O & M projects and Dewatering completed and ongoing.

FY2013 Scheduled Work: Continue O & M Projects on the Tennessee River.

Mission:  Responsible for ensuring navigable waterways in the Tennessee River Basins.

For more information regarding the Tennessee River Projects, contact James P. Davis CELRN-OP-MTR/A, Phone (256) 764-8052 james.p.davis@usace.army.mil  or Toni M. Rushing CELRN-WKY/A, Phone  (270) 362-4236 toni.m.rushing@usace.army.mil.