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[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 100 (Wednesday, May 22, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25727-25729]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-12815]

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TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY

Chickamauga Dam--Navigation Lock Project

AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority.

ACTION: Issuance of record of decision.

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SUMMARY: This notice is provided in accordance with the Council on 
Environmental Quality's regulations and with TVA's procedures 
implementing the National Environmental Policy Act. TVA has decided to 
adopt the preferred alternative identified in TVA's final environmental 
impact statement (EIS) made available to the public on March 26, 1996. 
A Notice of Availability of the final EIS was published in the Federal 
Register on April 5, 1996 (61 FR 15252). The preferred alternative is 
to construct a new 110 x 600 foot lock to replace the existing lock at 
Chickamauga Dam. Because of structural problems and safety concerns 
caused by concrete growth, the existing lock at Chickamauga Dam has a 
limited life expectancy, at most 10 years. TVA will continue to monitor 
the existing lock and make the necessary repairs to keep the lock in 
operation until the new lock is available for service. Design and 
construction of the new lock, subject to available funding, are 
expected to begin five years prior to closure of the existing lock. 
This will allow the new lock to be operational before the existing lock 
is closed, thereby maintaining navigation on the upper Tennessee River.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
W. Gary Brock, Manager, Water Resources Projects and Planning, 
Tennessee Valley Authority, West Tower 10C-432, Knoxville, Tennessee 
37902, or by calling (423) 632-8877.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Tennessee River is formed at the 
confluence of the Holston and French Bread Rivers near Knoxville in 
eastern Tennessee. From this confluence, the river flows 652 miles 
through Tennessee, northern Alabama, northeastern Mississippi, and 
western Kentucky to enter the Ohio River near Paducah, Kentucky. Along 
most of its counsel, the river falls gradually for a total of 515 feet 
except in the Muscle Shoals, Alabama, area where a drop of 100 feet 
occurs in less than 20 miles.
    The existing navigation system on the Tennessee River consists of 
nine multipurpose dams and lock projects with a total of 13 navigation 
locks. The system creates a series of navigation pools that provide a 
nine foot navigable channel along the entire length of the river except 
for a three mile stretch at Knoxville where, in periods of low water, 
the depth diminishes to seven feet and the channel width diminishes to 
about 200 feet. Navigation locks on the Tennessee River range in size 
from 110 x 1000 foot lock at Pickwick Dam to 60 x 300 foot double lift 
auxiliary lock at Wilson Dam.
    The upper Tennessee River navigation system begins at Chickamauga 
Dam, river mile 471, and extends 181 upstream to the confluence of the 
Holston and French Broad Rivers. The system consists of four navigation 
locks located at Chickamauga, Watts Bar, Fort Loudoun, and Melton Hill 
dams. The four locks were constructed in 1937, 1941, 1942 and 1963 
respectively. The predominant commodities trafficked on the upper 
Tennessee River system are asphalt, grains, ores and minerals, and 
forest products.
    TVA's Chickamauga Dam and Navigation Lock Project is located in 
Hamilton County, Tennessee, approximately 13 miles northeast of 
downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee. Chickamauga Lock currently has a 
traffic level of about 2.1 million tons per year.
    TVA and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) began 
studying navigation problems on the upper Tennessee River in 1987. The 
study results were published in 1988 by the Nashville District of the 
USACE in a report entitled, Commodity Traffic and Benefit Study for 
Navigation Improvements on the Upper Tennessee River. Both agencies 
agreed that the small and aging locks on the upper Tennessee River--
Chickamauga, Watts Bar, Fort Loudoun--were constraints to navigation 
and that concrete growth at Chickamauga lock threatened its continued 
operation. Concrete growth was not a problem at Watts Bar and Fort 
Loudoun because of the type of cement and aggregate used to construct 
the projects.
    The 1988 study examined the feasibility of increasing the existing 
locks to 110 x 600 feet size in order to bring the upper Tennessee 
navigation locks into conformance with locks below Chickamauga on the 
lower Tennessee River. The study concluded, however, that the benefits 
would not justify the cost of three new locks on the upper Tennessee 
River, and that TVA transportation planners should concentrate on 
improvements at Chickamauga and Watts Bar Locks.
    The results of the study of lock improvement benefits at 
Chickamauga and Watts Bar Dams were presented in a USACE report 
entitled Upper Tennessee River Navigation Improvement Study Navigation 
System Analysis (1993) which was produced under contract for TVA. The 
focus of this study was to estimate benefits that would accrue from a 
new 110 x 600 foot lock at Chickamauga which would be constructed 
before the existing lock was closed for an 18 month rehabilitation. At 
that time, engineering data indicated that the lock could be 
rehabilitated to function as an auxiliary lock. The study concluded 
that if any capacity constraints occurred at Watts Bar Lock, 
nonstructural measures could be used to

[[Page 25728]]

control the situation. TVA will continue to evaluate Watts Bar and Fort 
Loudoun projects. However, TVA has no planned upgrades of these 
facilities in the foreseeable future.
    Because of structural problems and safety concerns TVA continued to 
perform engineering analyses of the Chickamauga Lock and Dam using new 
methodology referred to as finite element analysis. The finite element 
analysis completed in 1995, revealed that because of concrete growth 
the lock could not be rehabilitated and that, at best, could function 
for another ten years. At some point, the lock would have to be closed 
to form a permanent water barrier at the dam. To close the lock, a 
concrete plug would be poured into the lock chamber to form a permanent 
water barrier.
    Extensive structural repairs and maintenance activities to 
alleviate problems resulting from concrete continue to be made at 
Chickamauga Lock. Instrumentation was installed to monitor structural 
movements and internal stresses.
    In its evaluation of alternatives to replace the existing lock at 
Chickamauga Dam, plugging the lock was defined as TVA's no action 
alternative. At this time, the alternative of taking absolutely no 
action is not acceptable because of the deteriorating nature of the 
lock and potential consequences of dam safety and navigation.
    TVA issued a draft EIS on May 10, 1995, that considered the 
alternative of continued operation of the existing lock. The final EIS 
does not consider the alternative of rehabilitating the lock because of 
information described above that became available after release of the 
draft EIS.

Alternatives Considered

    The following four alternatives were considered by TVA in its final 
EIS in attempting to address the structural problems and safety 
concerns caused by concrete growth at the Chickamauga Lock.
    Alternative 1. Construct a new 110 x 600 foot lock (preferred 
alternative).
    Alternative 2. Permanently close existing lock (no action 
alternative).
    Alternative 3. Construct new 60 x 360 foot lock (replacement in-
kind).
    Alternative 4. Construct new 75 x 400 foot lock.
    The environmental impacts of these alternatives were evaluated in 
the final EIS. Because of the structural problems and safety concerns, 
all construction alternatives include plugging the existing lock after 
the new lock is completed.
    Under the no action alternative, the existing lock would have been 
plugged and no replacement lock built in its place. This would have 
eliminated navigation through Chickamauga Dam. Upstream industries 
dependent upon barge transportation would be forced to shift to truck 
or rail transport of commodities, and recreational boaters and 
commercial tour operator would not be able to move between Chickamauga 
and Nickajack Reservoirs. Plugging the existing lock at a cost of $6.8 
million to form a permanent water barrier at the dam would have been 
the least cost alternative for solving the structural problems at the 
lock.
    The 110 x 600 foot lock represents the general standard for locks 
on the lower Tennessee River and thus, is well suited for barges in 
general use today. Lock capacity for the 110 x 600 foot lock has been 
rated at 35.7 million tons. Construction of the 110 x 600 foot lock is 
estimated to cost $225 million. Total cost of the new lock, including 
$6.8 million for closure of the existing lock, is $231.8 million in 
1995 dollars. Construction of the 60 x 360 and 75 x 400 foot locks 
would have cost $135 million and $160 million respectively.

Basis for the Decision

    TVA decided to adopt Alternative 1, that is, construct a new 110 x 
600 foot lock, to address the structural problems at Chickamauga Lock 
based on environmental, social, economic, recreational, and engineering 
and public safety considerations. Alternative 1 was chosen as the 
preferred alternative because it would maintain navigation on the upper 
Tennessee River and represents the general standard for locks on the 
lower Tennessee River and, thus is well suited for barges in general 
use today.
    Overall benefits include (1) economies related to a more efficient 
lock at Chickamauga, (2) a cheaper competitive barge alternative to 
overland transportation, and (3) construction of a reliable lock at 
Chickamauga.
    Among the three lock sizes considered in this EIS, the benefit cost 
ratio (4.3) for the 110 x 600 foot lock is higher than the benefit cost 
ratio (2.5) for the other two locks. The environmental impacts from the 
construction and operation of the smaller 60 x 360 and 75 x 400 foot 
locks would be similar to the impacts associated with the preferred 110 
x 600 foot lock.
    A new 110 x 600 foot lock is expected to generate 467 new jobs and 
$16.7 million in new income annually in the Hamilton County area over 
its five-year construction period. Of the 467 jobs, 267 would be 
directly created while 200 mostly commercial sector positions would be 
indirectly created. The $9.8 million directly generated income would 
also result in an additional $6.87 million in indirect monetary gain. 
While the bulk of these employment and income benefits would accrue to 
Hamilton County, the project would also have a positive impact on seven 
other counties identified in the project area.
    Under alternative 2, plugging the lock would result in the 
abandonment of 297 miles of navigable inland waterway and the public's 
investment in three navigation locks (Watts Bar, Fort Loudoun, and 
Melton Hill) above Chickamauga. The loss of commercial traffic on the 
upper Tennessee River is estimated to cost the nation $25 million 
annually. Additionally, having a lock in place at Chickamauga Dam 
provides shippers in east Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, and 
South Carolina a competitive alternative to overland transportation 
modes and a low cost source of certain commodities. For these reasons, 
the no action alternative is unacceptable to TVA.
    TVA also considered the use of portage facilities around 
Chickamauga Dam to support upstream barge use without the construction 
of a new lock. However, because this alternative was not economically 
feasible, it was not evaluated in detail.
    Construction of a new lock would result in the loss of some 
specimen of the endangered pink mucket during dredging for channel 
improvements. Other potential adverse environmental impacts from 
construction of a new lock can be substantially avoided or minimized 
through mitigation measures. By comparison, the no action alternative 
of plugging the lock without replacing it would stop navigation between 
Chickamauaga and Nickajack reservoirs, isolate the upper from the lower 
Tennessee River, and block the potential upstream movement of spawning 
migratory species such as sauger and buffalo. TVA has therefore 
concluded that there is no clear environmentally preferable alternative 
for the Chickamauga Dam--Navigation Lock Project.

Environmental Consequences and Commitments

    Environmental consequences associated with construction of a new 
110 x 600 foot lock are set out in the final EIS. Environmental impacts 
include minor loss of aquatic habitat and resident population of 
freshwater mussels, included one listed

[[Page 25729]]

endangered species (pink mucket, Lampsillis orbiculata) These losses 
would be mitigated by relocating the mussels and possibly by other 
means to be determined during consultation with the United States Fish 
and Wildlife Service. Disposal sites would be landscaped and vegetated, 
and potential impacts to a federally endangered plant (Mountain 
skullcap, Scutellaria montana) located adjacent to a disposal site will 
be mitigated through maintenance of a contiguous 250-foot forest buffer 
zone. Shoreline restoration downstream will be performed so as to 
offset erosion and improve riverine wetlands downstream of the project. 
Fugitive dust would be reasonably controlled through periodic wetting 
of construction road surfaces or as required by local and state air 
regulations. No chemical agents, such as oils, will be used to control 
fugitive dust. Construction of a new lock will have an impact on the 
existing historic dam complex and will require a Section 106 review. No 
potential adverse effects on archaeological or cultural resources are 
anticipated. Temporary high noise levels and navigation traffic 
congestion would be expected during construction.
    Environmental impacts associated with the operation of the new lock 
include socioeconomic benefits associated with the continuation of 
commercial and recreation lockages and the loss of four spillway bays. 
Loss of four spillways bays will not adversely impact TVA's ability to 
control flooding up to a 5500 year flood event. Further, through 
appropriate design of discharge structures, TVA will attempt to 
minimize potential impact on the upstream migration of certain fish 
species, such as sauger and buffalo.
    The construction and operational environmental impacts for the 
smaller 60  x  360 and 75  x  400 foot locks would be similar to the 
impacts associated with the proposed 110  x  600 foot lock.
    Environmental impacts associated with the no action alternative of 
plugging the lock without replacing it, include blocking the potential 
upstream movement of spawning migratory fishes, such as sauger and 
buffalo. Additionally, navigation through Chickamauga Dam would cease, 
causing significant economic impact to industry and recreation and 
would isolate the upper Tennessee River from the lower river system for 
commercial navigation. This would result in a shift to land transport 
of goods shipped through Chickamauga Lock which would have adverse 
impact on air quality from increased truck and rail traffic. Further, 
separation of the National Oak Ridge Laboratory and other industry from 
access to barge transportation could result in lost opportunities for 
industrial expansion, and at Oak Ridge, the inability to move certain 
national defense equipment there for maintenance and repair.
    Additionally, a number of mitigation and monitoring requirements 
will be incorporated in construction and operational permits needed for 
the Chickamauga Dam--Navigation Lock Project.

    Dated: May 13, 1996.
Kathryn J. Jackson,
Senior Vice President, Resource Group.
[FR Doc. 96-12815 Filed 5-21-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120-01-M
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