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Environment
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TVA is committed to helping the region’s economy grow and enhancing the quality of life for the people of the Valley. TVA is working aggressively to improve air quality and manage the Tennessee River system so the Valley is a cleaner and safer place to live and work. Today, the region’s air is cleaner than it has been in decades, and a new policy is improving TVA’s operation of the river system. Since 2000, TVA has invested more than $1 billion in selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions from coal-fired generating units. Summer nitrogen oxide emissions have been reduced by 78 percent since 1995; in fact, in 2004 the Valley saw the fewest high-ozone days of any year on record. When TVA’s current emissions-reduction program is complete, TVA expects to have invested approximately $6 billion in cleaner air. To date, six scrubbers, which reduce sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions, are operating on six generating units, and five more are planned or under construction. When these scrubbers are completed, emissions of SO2 will be reduced by about 85 percent, compared with 1977 levels. Serving the greater public good was the goal of the Reservoir Operations Study, completed in 2004. This comprehensive analysis of how TVA operates its dams and reservoirs resulted in a shift in procedures from targeting specific summer reservoir elevations to a flow-based approach that efficiently moves water through the river system for a variety of needs. The new policy was shaped with extensive public input from citizens all across the Valley, as well as from representatives from state and federal agencies. The beauty of the Tennessee Valley must be seen to be believed. TVA has spent much of the past year expanding and improving trails to help residents and visitors experience the natural wonder of our region. A wheelchair-accessible walkway now leads to a spectacular view of the 60-foot waterfall at Foster Falls in Marion County, Tennessee. In 2004, a new trail was opened on the Muscle Shoals Reservation in Alabama, volunteers constructed a segment of the new Tellico Trail and a parking lot on Tellico Reservoir, and the Songbird Trail at Norris Reservoir was extended.
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A scrubber at Paradise Fossil Plant
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Speak of the Tennessee Valley and for most people,
the region’s beauty comes first to mind: the scenic, endless waterways, the green landscapes, the gently rolling hills.
To others, thoughts of the Valley center on the lifestyle—the family focus, strong work ethic, and love of the outdoors. 
