Tennessee Valley Authority
About the Tennessee Valley Authority
Submitted by siteadmin on Mon, 02/02/2009 - 00:39The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was established by an Act of Congress signed into law on May 18, 1933. It's primary purpose was constructing dams for generating power, improving river navigation, and flood control. The TVA has also constructed some 100 public recreation areas including campgrounds, day-use areas, and boat launching ramps. Every year millions of people visit TVA reservoirs and enjoy the recreational opportunities they provide.
A 102-page glovebox guide, Tennessee River County, is available from the TVA for $10. It provides information about 35 public recreation areas and the facilities available at each. It also has numerous color photographs of the Tennessee Valley.
Ocoee Reservoir Number 1
Submitted by siteadmin on Tue, 03/24/2009 - 23:08Summary
Ocoee No. 1, with the other Ocoee dams, is an integral part of TVA’s hydroelectric system. Together they produce more than 70,000 kilowatts of electric power.
The U.S. Forest Service operates campgrounds on Parksville Reservoir in the beautiful Cherokee National Forest, and visitors can also stay at a commercially run inn on the reservoir. A number of commercial outfitters supply equipment and organize whitewater rafting trips on the Ocoee River.
The Ocoee River was the whitewater venue for the 1996 Olympics and is one of the top ten whitewater rivers in the country. In 1993 TVA built a concrete and wooden model of a section of the river to guide U.S. Forest Service construction of the Olympic whitewater course. The 300- by 30-foot model is located near Ocoee No. 1 Dam.
Ocoee Reservoir Number 2
Submitted by siteadmin on Tue, 03/24/2009 - 23:05Summary
Ocoee Dam No. 2, located in southeast Tennessee, is the second in a string of three TVA dams on the Ocoee River. Ocoee No. 2, completed in 1913, was among the first hydroelectric projects in the region. It was acquired by TVA in 1939.
Along with the other Ocoee dams, it is an integral part of TVA’s hydroelectric system. Together they produce more than 70,000 kilowatts of electric power.
The Ocoee No. 2 powerhouse is located nearly five miles downstream from the dam. At the dam, water from the river is diverted into a flume—a wooden trough supported on a bench carved out of the mountainside—which carries it to a point where it is discharged through pipes to the powerhouse more than 250 feet below.
As a result, the amount of power generated by 30-foot-high Ocoee Dam No. 2 equals that of a 250-foot-high dam. Constructed in 1912, the flume at Ocoee No. 2 is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Ocoee Reservoir Number 3
Submitted by siteadmin on Tue, 03/24/2009 - 23:01Summary
Ocoee Dam No. 3, located in southeast Tennessee, is the third in a string of three TVA dams on the Ocoee River. It was built by TVA during World War II to produce power for the war effort.
Along with the other Ocoee dams, it is an integral part of TVA’s hydroelectric system. Together they produce more than 70,000 kilowatts of electric power.
The Ocoee No. 3 powerhouse is located more than two miles downstream from the dam. At the dam, water from the river is diverted into a tunnel and carried to the powerhouse downstream. Because of the drop in elevation from the dam to the powerhouse, power generation is significantly higher than it would have been if the dam been built next to the powerhouse.
Pickwick Reservoir
Submitted by siteadmin on Mon, 02/16/2009 - 20:59Summary
Pickwick Landing Dam is a significant producer of hydroelectric power. It provides a flat pool of water that extends eastward to Wilson Dam in Alabama and covers a portion of the treacherous Muscle Shoals, which once hampered navigation on the Tennessee River.
Pickwick Reservoir has excellent sportfishing areas, including the Wilson Dam tailwater at the upper end of the reservoir, noted for record-size smallmouth bass and catfish. Another favorite spot is the discharge basin at Colbert Fossil Plant west of Sheffield, Alabama, where the warm water discharged from the power plant attracts fish during cold weather.
Pickwick is popular with water skiers, and its large campground located on the water below the dam includes 35 sites with full hookups.
Pickwick Dam Tailwater Campground
This is a self-service campground (731-925-4346). 95 campsites, 66 with water and electric hookups. Rest rooms with heated showers and flush toilets, dump station, picnic tables and grills, boat ramp below dam, tailwater bank fishing, bird-watching.
Powerhouse Drive
Counce, TN 38326
Near Counce, Tennessee. From junction of Hwy. 57 and Hwy. 128, go 1.5 miles north on Hwy. 128 across dam, then west below dam.
Pin Oak Reservoir
Submitted by siteadmin on Mon, 02/16/2009 - 20:59Summary
Pin Oak is one of eight reservoirs that provide flood control, recreation, and water supply in the Beech River watershed in west Tennessee. The others are Beech, Cedar, Dogwood, Lost Creek, Pine, Redbud, and Sycamore.
The reservoirs are open to the public, providing opportunities for boating, swimming, and fishing. Pin Oak Reservoir and its adjoining land are part of the Natchez Trace State Park. The lands around the reservoirs are visited by backpackers and hikers, and a group camp has been developed on Sycamore Reservoir.
Programs on the Beech River for upland game management, restocking fish populations, constructing underwater fish attractors, and enhancing the habitat for resident Canada geese ensure the quality and future of the outdoor experience.
Pine Reservoir
Submitted by siteadmin on Mon, 02/16/2009 - 20:57Summary
Pine is part of a cluster of eight reservoirs that provide flood control, recreational opportunities, and water supply in the Beech River watershed in west Tennessee. The others are Beech, Cedar, Dogwood, Lost Creek, Pin Oak, Redbud, and Sycamore.
The reservoirs are open to the public, providing opportunities for boating, swimming, and fishing. Pin Oak Reservoir and its adjoining land are part of the Natchez Trace State Park. The lands around the reservoirs are visited by backpackers and hikers, and a group camp has been developed on Sycamore Reservoir.
Programs on the Beech River for upland game management, restocking fish populations, constructing underwater fish attractors, and enhancing the habitat for resident Canada geese ensure the quality and future of the outdoor experience.
Raccoon Mountain Pumped Storage Plant
Submitted by siteadmin on Mon, 02/16/2009 - 20:56Summary
Raccoon Mountain Pumped Storage Plant is located in southeast Tennessee on a site that overlooks the Tennessee River near Chattanooga.
The plant works like a large storage battery. During periods of low demand, water is pumped from Nickajack Reservoir at the base of the mountain to the reservoir built at the top. It takes 28 hours to fill the upper reservoir. When demand is high, water is released via a tunnel drilled through the center of the mountain to drive generators in the mountain’s underground power plant.
The area around Raccoon Mountain is a state-designated Wildlife Observation Area. The mountaintop is home to whitetail deer, woodchucks, gray foxes, and, of course, raccoons. The most compelling wildlife attraction of the area is a large wintering population of bald eagles, which can be sighted from the overlook as they hunt in the woods and waters.
The Raccoon Mountain Visitor Center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except major holidays. Tours of the power plant itself are no longer available, but the center has photographs and models to give visitors the same sort of experience. TVA closes all visitor centers when the Homeland Security alert is at a level of high (orange) or higher.
Redbud Reservoir
Submitted by siteadmin on Mon, 02/16/2009 - 20:54Summary
Redbud is part of a cluster of eight reservoirs that provide flood control, recreation, and water supply in the Beech River watershed in west Tennessee. The others are Beech, Cedar, Dogwood, Lost Creek, Pin Oak, Pine, and Sycamore.
The reservoirs are open to the public, providing opportunities for boating, swimming, and fishing. Pin Oak Reservoir and its adjoining land are part of the Natchez Trace State Park. The lands around the reservoirs are visited by backpackers and hikers, and a group camp has been developed on Sycamore Reservoir.
Programs on the Beech River for upland game management, restocking fish populations, constructing underwater fish attractors, and enhancing the habitat for resident Canada geese ensure the quality and future of the outdoor experience.
South Holston Reservoir
Submitted by siteadmin on Mon, 02/16/2009 - 20:49Summary
South Holston Reservoir is on the South Fork Holston River in northeast Tennessee. It extends 24 miles east of the dam into Virginia. Construction of the dam was begun in 1942 but was halted in favor of other wartime construction efforts. Building resumed in 1947 and was completed in 1950.
South Holston is operated for many purposes, including flood control, power production, and aquatic ecology. Water levels in the reservoir vary about 30 feet during normal years to provide for flood storage and augmentation of the flow of water during the drier seasons of the year.
The South Fork Holston River is home to an annual spring migration of white bass. Locals say that when the serviceberry and dogwood bloom, the white bass run.
A footbridge from the parking lot below the dam leads to Osceola Island and its one-mile-loop wildlife trail. Early in the morning or late in the evening are the best times to sight waterfowl, deer, and other wildlife.
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