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 What
is “integrated river management”?
To manage
the Tennessee River and its tributaries and lakes, TVA must address
many objectives—flood control, navigation, power generation, water
quality, and recreation. Everyone in the Tennessee Valley is affected
to some degree by how we deal with these objectives. And at any given
time, the desires of one group will inevitably compete or conflict with
the desires of other groups. So it’s only by an integrated—or
a coordinated—management of the river that we can balance all of
our objectives to meet our obligations under the TVA Act and achieve
the best results for the overall public good.
Why
does TVA begin lowering the levels of its storage-reservoir lakes each
August?
The
decision to begin the draw-down of reservoir levels August 1 is guided
by several objectives, including water quality, environmental concerns,
mosquito control, power generation, and navigation. The decision also
can be affected by excessive rainfall or drought. But the overriding
consideration is flood-storage capacity. We must make room to store
high-elevation runoff water from winter and spring rains. Studies indicate
that our operation of the reservoir system has helped prevent more than
$5 billion in potential losses from flood damage since the 1930s.
Also, whenever
possible, we release the water during draw-downs through the turbines
at our hydroelectric dams to generate electricity and help keep power
rates low for Valley residents.
What
about maintaining water quality?
Because
TVA is a public-power provider, our commitment to water quality goes
beyond meeting regulatory requirements. Our goal is to set the standard
for other hydropower producers in terms of environmentally sound river
management.
Our comprehensive
monitoring program—designed specifically to guide watershed protection
and improvement activities—is an example. Another is our reservoir-release
improvement program, which ensures a minimum flow of water and plenty
of oxygen for aquatic life below TVA dams. We also work with federal
and state agencies and with local groups to identify pollution problems
and implement improvements.
How
did the drought conditions that hit much of the nation in 1999 affect
TVA’s river-system operations?
Heading
into June 1999, rainfall across the Tennessee Valley had been below
normal since the previous summer. But because of our integrated system,
we were able to reach minimum summer target levels on all but two of
our lakes by June 1 by releasing only enough water to protect downstream
water quality.
In addition, heavy
rains in June and July allowed us to generate power at peak levels during
an extended heat wave. Our hydroelectric units played a crucial role
in helping TVA’s power system meet record-setting demands for electricity
last summer.
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