NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 18, 2019) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District and Tennessee Valley Authority invite the public for a free tour of Watts Bar Lock at Tennessee River mile 529.9 in Decatur, Tenn., Saturday, June 22, 2019. Four groups of 25 will be able to tour the facility at 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., and 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Pre-registration is required for all tour guests (including minors). The deadline to register is noon June 12, 2019. Personal information collected during sign-up is used for security background checks.
Sign up for a tour at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080948a4a92eaafa7-watts
NOTE: You must provide full name, address, phone number, driver's license, state of issue, for every person 18 and over signed up for the tour. If it is not provided that person will not be allowed to participate in the tour upon arrival. When signing up, each individual must have a different e-mail address or the website will not accept additional signups for additional family members. Please put “None” in Driver’s License field for children who do not possess them.
Tour Details and Rules
All facilities are ADA accessible.
Only visitors with approval and confirmation will be permitted on the tour. No substitutions or additions are allowed.
All participants over 16 years of age must provide photo identification upon arrival for the tour.
Visitors may not carry packages, backpacks, or other containers during the tour.
No high-heel, open heel shoes, including clogs and crocs or bare feet, will be allowed on a tour. Tennis shoes are recommended.
All children 16 and under must be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or responsible adult during the tour.
Any increase in threat conditions can result in approved tours being canceled with little notice. We regret any inconvenience this may cause.
An e-mail will be sent to anyone signed up for a tour if for any reason a tour is canceled.
Directions
Watts Bar is located at 185 Watts Bar Landing Lane, Decatur, TN, 37322, at Tennessee River mile 529.9. It is 72.4 miles downstream from Fort Loudoun Lock and 58.9 miles above Chickamauga Lock.
Background
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District operates and maintains the 60-by 360-foot lock at the Tennessee Valley Authority project. It is approximately halfway between Chattanooga and Knoxville, Tenn. The navigation lock lowers barges as much as 70 feet to Chickamauga Reservoir. The lock handles more than a million tons of cargo a year.
TVA began constructing Watts Bar Lock in 1939 and placed it into operation Feb. 19, 1942. Watts Bar got its name from nearby Watts Island and the fact that there were many sandbars in the area. The sandbars were a landmark known to early river pilots and appeared on all early charts. In 1956 a highway bridge was built across the dam. Spanning the lock, the bridge connected U.S. Highway 27 with Tennessee State Highway 58.
For more information about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District, visit the district’s website at www.lrn.usace.army.mil, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps, and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nashvillecorps. For more information about TVA and its 85-year mission of service to the Tennessee Valley, visit www.tva.com.
Contact
Bill Peoples
615-736-7161
chief.public-affairs@usace.army.mil
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District
or
Travis Brickey
865-632-6263
tsbrickey@tva.gov
Tennessee Valley Authority
Date Taken: | 04.18.2019 |
Date Posted: | 04.18.2019 09:46 |
Story ID: | 318635 |
Location: | NASHVILLE, TN, US |
Web Views: | 105 |
Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Public invited for Watts Bar Lock tour on Tennessee River, by Bill Peoples, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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