Muscle Shoals Reservation Redevelopment

Colbert County, Alabama

In November 2011, TVA issued a final Muscle Shoals Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that addresses the impacts of a proposed TVA land disposal action in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.  TVA is considering the disposal of 1,400 acres of land on the Muscle Shoals Reservation (MSR) in Colbert County, Alabama.  Disposing of and selling this portion of the MSR would reduce TVA’s operations and maintenance costs and its environmental footprint, enhance economic development opportunities, encourage reuse of some historic buildings and structures, and leave future land use decisions to the local community.  Local government officials have requested the use of this land for many years; and in accordance with its economic development mission, TVA believes that the transfer and redevelopment of this property would help to stimulate and promote growth of the local and regional economy.

The EIS evaluates a reasonable range of future land use alternatives for the MSR property along with the potential effects of such uses.  Under No Action (Alternative A), this property would not be sold and would remain in public ownership to be managed in accordance with TVA’s 1996 Muscle Shoals/Wilson Dam Reservation Land Management Plan.  Under the five Action Alternatives (Alternatives B, C, D, E, and F), the land would be sold (likely at public auction) and be used for conservation and low-impact development (B); commercial, retail, and residential use (C); industrial use (D); a mix of these uses (E); or unrestricted land use (F). TVA is working with the Shoals area community and appropriate local, state, or federal authorities to develop the comprehensive master plan that would guide the redevelopment of the MSR property. Under any of the action alternatives, TVA would retain monitored solid waste management unit areas and continue to manage them in accordance with state regulation. 

Public Involvement

TVA issued a draft EIS on January 14, 2011 and public comments were accepted through February 28, 2011.  An open house meeting to receive comments on the draft EIS was held on February 3, 2011, at the Muscle Shoals High School.

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Documents

PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader

Final Environmental Impact Statement, Volumes I and II

Complete Final Environmental Impact Statement, Volume I (PDF, 23.2 mb)
Complete text of the final EIS, Volume I

Complete Final Environmental Impact Statement, Volume II (PDF, 22.2 mb)
Complete text of final EIS, Volume II - Appendices

Volume I

Summary and Table of Contents (PDF, 3.4 mb)
Cover page; abstract; summary of the issues including alternatives considered, environmental effects, consequences, comparison of the alternatives, and potential mitigation and compliance measures; preferred alternative; table of contents; table of acronyms, abbreviations, units of measure, and symbols; and glossary of terms

Chapter 1:  Purpose of and Need for Action (PDF, 2.2 mb)
Purpose, background, decision to be made; National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process description; scope of the analysis; public review of the draft EIS; other pertinent environmental reviews or documentation; and potentially necessary federal and state permits and approvals

Chapter 2:  Alternatives Including the Proposed Action (PDF, 716 kb)
Alternatives including the proposed action; comparison of alternatives; potential mitigation measures; and preferred alternative

Chapter 3:  Affected Environment (PDF, 18.2 mb)
Detailed description of the affected human and natural environment

Chapter 4:  Environmental Consequences (PDF, 4.6 mb)
Detailed description of the environmental consequences associated with proposed alternatives

Chapters 5, 6, 7, and 8:  Supporting Information (PDF, 247 kb)
List of preparers; list of agencies and individuals notified and/or to whom copies are sent; libraries receiving copies of the document; literature cited; and index

Volume II - Appendices

Appendix A (PDF, 7.2 mB)
Memorandum of Agreement Between TVA and the Alabama State Historic Preservation Officer for the Disposal of Land

Appendix B (PDF, 294 Kb)
Public Comments on Draft EIS and TVA Responses

Appendix C (PDF, 107 kb)
Summary of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Facility Investigation of Solid Waste Management Units

Appendix D (PDF, 27.6 mb)
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Correspondence

Appendix E (PDF, 275 kb)
Summary of Monitoring for Solid Waste Management Unit 108

Appendix F (PDF, 3.6 mb)
Volatile Organic Compound Compliance for Solid Waste Management Unit 108

Appendix G (PDF, 89 kb)
White Phosphorous Sampling for Solid Waste Management Unit 104

Appendix H (PDF, 118 kb)
Monitoring Results for Solid Waste Management Unit 112

Appendix I (PDF, 356 kb)
Sampling Results for Solid Waste Management Unit 114 Phosphate Slag Storage Area

Appendix J (PDF, 97 kb)
Geological Survey of Alabama and Alabama Office of Water Resources Data

Appendix K (PDF, 7.3 mb)
State Historic Preservation Officer and Tribal Correspondence

Appendix L (PDF, 4.1 mb)
Historical Significance of the Environmental Research Center

Appendix M (PDF, 128 kb)
Soil Descriptions

Appendix N (PDF, 242 kb)
Prime Farmland Conversion

Appendix O (PDF, 114 kb)
Animals Observed Within the Muscle Shoals Reservation Study Area

Appendix P (PDF, 3.7 mb)
Scenic Value Criteria

Notice of Intent

Scoping Report (PDF, 989 kb)
Results of the public scoping held in June and July 2009

Adaptive Re-Use Study

In preparation for the potential redevelopment of a portion of the MSR, TVA evaluated the importance and condition of buildings eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.  A TVA-commissioned study, known as the Adaptive Re-Use Study, focused on three broad areas in evaluating about 45 buildings south of Reservation Road:

• Existing architectural and structural conditions of each building and the flexibility of each building for uses other than their original functions
• Viability of the buildings based on current and foreseeable market trends in the region
• Development of a draft concept plan illustrating examples of how the historic buildings might be reused in a larger redevelopment effort

The study outlines various concepts including changes in population and how that might affect use of the property and buildings; types of businesses or industries that the current population or expected growth in the area might support; and impacts that road systems and distribution of population centers might have on the economic viability of new businesses and industries locating on the reservation.  This information, presented in the hyperlinks below, helped TVA in its work with the Shoals community and local governments as well as during consultations with the Alabama State Historic Preservation Officer, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, federally recognized Native American tribes and other consulting parties on this undertaking, which has been determined to adversely affect some historic properties.  This process fulfills TVA’s requirement to comply with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, and was an integral part of the final EIS development process (see Sections 3.4 and 4.4 in the final EIS and Appendices A, K, and L referenced above).

Book 1: Conditions/Market/Planning/Implementation (PDF, 23 mb)

Book 2: Architectural and Historic Assessment (PDF, 6 mb)

Book 3: Structural Assessment (PDF, 66 mb)

Book 4: Market Assessment (PDF, 1.3 mb)

Presentation Board (PDF, 10 mb)

To obtain a copy of the Adaptive Re-Use Study on compact disc (CD), go to TVA’s Land and Shoreline Management Office, located in the Multipurpose Building, Reservation Road, Complex D, Muscle Shoals, Alabama, or call TVA’s Environmental Information Center at 800‑882-5263.

Contact

To receive additional information, obtain a hardcopy or CD of the final EIS, or to submit written or e-mailed comments, contact:

Loretta A. McNamee
Tennessee Valley Authority
400 West Summit Hill Drive, WT 11D
Knoxville, TN 37902-1499
Fax: 865-632-3451
lmcnamee@tva.gov

For general information on the project, contact:

Tony F. Hopson
Tennessee Valley Authority
400 West Summit Hill Drive, WT 3B
Knoxville, TN 37902-1499
afhopson@tva.gov

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