Watershed Restoration: Principles and Practices

Chapter 17: Using River Action Teams to Restore Water Quality: Hiwassee River of North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee

D. L. Bowling, Jr., T. S. Chilcoat, J. P. Cox, J. R. Hagerman, C. D. Ungate, and G. G. Williams

doi: https://doi.org/10.47886/9781888569049.ch17

The mission of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), as stated in the TVA Act of 1933, is to provide for the “unified conservation and development of the Tennessee River system.” The Tennessee River drains a 41,000-square-mile watershed that covers portions of seven southeastern states. The river has more than 30 major reservoirs operated by the TVA for navigation, flood control, water quality, power production, recreation, and other purposes.

In 1992, in response to numerous requests from recreational users, lakeshore homeowners, and the general public, the TVA Board of Directors adopted the goal of making the Tennessee River the cleanest and most productive commercial river system in the United States. The TVA’s Clean Water Initiative was created to carry out this mission.