How a Waterway Improvement Changed Environment

The improvement of the Tennessee River waterway was a unique undertaking. For the first time, a single Federal agency was given more freedom and autonomy than usual and was charged with the integrated development of the resources of a major river basin. Improvement of the Tennessee River for navigation was only one of several resource tools the agency was to devise and use for these purpose. Emphasized herein is the manner in which the agency completed the multiple-purpose improvement, how it assisted and encouraged waterfront communities to maximize the benefits of the improved waterway, how it sought to minimize readjustments and other problems, and how these changes have affected environment.