Norris Dam/TVA Investigations (Vilmarie/Sophia)

Since 1933, TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) has served the people of the Tennessee Valley in many different ways. It generates electricity used by 8.6 million people, provide economic development services that manages the Tennessee River system and public lands for benefits. They include navigation, flood damage, power supply, land use, water quality, and water supply. TVA works to balance theses needs and the quality of life for all in the valley.

The Tennessee River has its headwaters in the mountains of Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia. The main river forms at Knoxville where the Holston and The French Broad rivers join.

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has set up a multi-purpose system of Dams and Reservoirs which prevented floods, improves navigation and in charge of electric power.

The high Dam was created or built because the Dam having floods crossing to lower Ohio and Mississippi valley but generate electric power. The system also helps protect the lower Ohio and Mississippi valley. The nine main river Dams, with their locks forms a navigations channel 650 miles long, from Knoxville to the Ohio River. The important arm of the nation in lands and water system connect states.

Norris construction was started on October 1, 1933. Peak number of jobs in construction at one time was 2,750 and a workers an hour. During construction of Norris Dam, workers poured 1 million cubic yards (760,000 cubic meters) of concrete.

They began reservoir filling on March 4, 1936. The initial project cost was about $35.5 million. Their shoreline length is 800 miles, dam length is 1,860 feet. Its dam height is 265 feet, and the power capacity has 2 units supplying 131 megawatts.

Norris Dam is named after Nebraska senator George Norris, author of the regislation creating the TVA.