The Magnificent Obsession of TVA

by Paul L. Evans, (F.ASCE), Former Director of Information; Tennessee Valley Authority, Norris, Tennessee,


Serial Information: Civil Engineering—ASCE, 1977, Vol. 47, Issue 10, Pg. 107-113


Document Type: Feature article

Abstract:

Before the TVA came, the Tennessee Valley region was one of the nation's poorest: no electricity; deep, gullied erosion of the hilly farm country; periodic devastating flooding of cities like Nashville. The turning point for the region came with the Great Depression and Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. With a multi-pronged attack, the main idea was to try and transform the region. A series of dams was built along the Tennessee River. This halted the flooding, helped to create a navigable river, and generated hydro electric power. The electricity in turn, brought lights to poor Tennessee farms, and helped foster education in a poverty belt. Strict soil conservation and reforestation sharply cut the soil erosion problem. TVA's accomplishments are one of the high points in the history of civil engineering.

Subject Headings: Electric power | Rivers and streams | Floods | Erosion | Agriculture | Hydro power | History and Heritage

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