Amendments to the Watts Bar Reservoir Land Management Plan

Loudon, Meigs, Rhea, and Roane Counties, Tennessee

On March 29, 2019, TVA issued a supplemental environmental assessment (SEA) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) to document the potential environmental effects of proposed land use allocation changes over 226 acres of TVA public land on Watts Bar Reservoir.

In February 2009, TVA issued the Watts Bar Reservoir Land Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (RLMP and EIS) for managing its public lands on the reservoir. In April 2012, TVA completed the Kingston Recovery Project Land Management Plan that allocated land use zones to 143.6 acres of reservoir property impacted by the ash spill; this plan supplemented the 2009 RLMP. Since the 2009 and 2012 planning efforts, TVA has identified six parcels on Watts Bar Reservoir for proposed land use allocation changes warranting a supplement to the EIS and an amendment to the 2009 RLMP.

A draft SEA was issued for public review and comment in November 2018. Comments received on the draft SEA and responses to those comments were incorporated as Appendix B to the final SEA. The final SEA, FONSI, and appendices, which include the public comments and responses, are available through the links below.

RLMPs guide land use approvals, private water use facility permitting, and resource management decisions on TVA-managed public land. Updates to RLMPs are needed to reflect changing land use needs and/or circumstances and to incorporate TVA’s business needs and goals for managing its public lands. Any proposed development or activity on public land will be subject to TVA approval pending the completion of a site-specific environmental review to evaluate the potential environmental effects of the proposal. As necessary, TVA would impose any necessary mitigative measures as conditions of approval for the use of public lands to minimize adverse environmental effects. Additional information can be found at the Watts Bar Land Management Plan website.

For more information about reservoir lands planning, please contact:

Kelly R. Baxter
Senior Specialist, Reservoir Lands Planning
Tennessee Valley Authority
400 West Summit Hill Drive, WT 11A
Knoxville, Tennessee 37902
(865) 632-2444
krbaxter@tva.gov