Tennessee Valley Authority
TVA’s Involvement in Water Supply for the Tennessee Valley
TVA promotes the wise use, conservation, and development of the Tennessee Valley’s water resources in carrying out a variety of water supply activities.
Issuing water withdrawal permits
TVA issues permits for all water intake structures. Learn how to apply for a water withdrawal permit. As a condition of these permits, applicants are required to report annual usage. This data is used in tracking existing usage and evaluating proposed increases in withdrawals from the Tennessee River system. For a copy of the annual usage reporting form, click here (158 kb, PDF).
Meeting water-temperature discharge limits
TVA manages the river flow through dams to provide its coal-fired and nuclear power plants with ample cooling water. One method it employs is to use the lower-temperature water from the bottom of reservoirs, which reduces the cost of power production, provides savings for consumers, and helps ensure that power plants can stay online to meet power-system peaks. Learn more about how TVA monitors river temperature and the actions TVA takes to ensure compliance with state and federal thermal regulations in the June 2003 issue of TVA River Neighbors (PDF file, 877 kb, requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
Promoting water-supply planning
Federal and state policymakers recognize that cooperation and coordination are essential for water-supply planning in the new century. TVA works with local and state governments to promote regional water-supply planning and project implementation. In 2004, a watershed-wide partnership with Valley states was formed to:
- Improve regional cooperation in water resource management
- Provide a framework for coordination and information exchange among the states.
In addition to government agencies, this partnership could eventually include private utilities, coalitions, advocacy groups, regulators, and industry, all key players in planning for the future of the Tennessee Valley’s water. TVA also provides information and data for use in community-based planning efforts, and our scientists provide technical support to state agencies on regional supply issues.
Tennessee Growth Readiness
Through the Tennessee Growth Readiness program, TVA helps communities learn how land-use decisions affect water quality. The program helps planners and public works officials:
- Comply with regulatory requirements
- Make informed decisions about how to grow and prosper without jeopardizing the water resources necessary for future development
- Evaluate their development rules using model principles developed by the Center for Watershed Protection
- Lead a consensus-building process for adopting new rules and planning practices.
Officials from four communities helped develop and pilot the program. The Southeast Watershed Forum, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, the University of Tennessee's Water Resources Research Center, and TVA provided assistance. Since its start in the fall of 2003, Tennessee Growth Readiness has reached over 300 planners and public works officials serving more than 270 communities.
Improving water quality
TVA’s Watershed Teams work with municipal water suppliers, elected officials, community activists, and economic development executives to protect and improve local surface and groundwater supplies by sharing water quality monitoring results, providing technical assistance, and facilitating community-based actions.
TVA also protects the Valley’s drinking water by ensuring that reservoir levels stay above municipal and industrial intake structures along the river system and monitoring river temperatures to prevent algal growth from causing problems with taste and odor. Special reservoir operations are conducted as necessary to assist local water suppliers in dealing with accidental releases of contaminants that sometimes take place.