The Tennessee River Navigation System is one of the planned series of special technical reports recording the experience of TVA in planning and carrying out one of its major program. The report presents a comprehensive picture of the river's development for navigation including commercial, industrial, and recreational uses. The discussions are preceded by a historical outline tracing the use of the Tennessee River and its tributaries for navigation from the days of DeSoto to the inception of the TVA; they conclude with a summary of navigation investment costs. Appendixes provide supplemental data.

Cairo, Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico Mile 953 A.H.P. to Mile 22 B.H.P.

This project began on December 22, 2008. The failure of a containment pond dyke spilled 5.4 million cubic yards of coal ash belonging to the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Kingston Fossil Plant into the Emory River and its surrounding landscape. What led to this point?Jeff Rich investigates the river itself and the TVA's vast reach and power throughout the region. It has forever changed the environment of its watershed that is in every way at odds with the natural evolution and ecology of the Tennessee River system.

Created by the federal government in 1933 to revitalize a region twice the size of New England, the Tennessee Valley Authority began as an experiment of unprecedented proportions. Seen here through picture postcards, the dramatic achievements of the TVA take on a personal aspect, as individuals visit the hydroelectric projects and enjoy the newly created recreational opportunities. Tangible benefits are also documented, such as improved navigation, new roads and bridges, and abundant and inexpensive electricity. Influenced by such visionaries as Gifford Pinchot, Theodore Roosevelt, and George Norris, the agency also dealt with regional issues, including river commerce, soil conservation, and flood control.