The Tennessee Valley Authority turns 90 years old this week.
The federal utility corporation is the largest public power supplier in the country. It provides electricity to 153 local power companies in seven states, including Alabama.
TVA is celebrating its anniversary with public tours of its various dams. Dams in Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and Kentucky will welcome select visitors for a limited time this year.
TVA Spokesperson Scott Brooks said these tours are a good opportunity for Americans to recognize the importance dams play in their daily lives.
“We decided it was a perfect opportunity to offer a limited number of tours to a lot of our dams, which of course are the backbone of TVA,” he said. “Some of our first-generation facilities back in the 1930s were dams. Not only are those dams used for navigation and flood control, but they are also used for recreation. You go fishing on those reservoirs.”
One Alabama dam is welcoming visitors for the first time in five years. Wilson Dam first opened in 1925. It connects Muscle Shoals to Florence. Since 2018, the dam has been closed due to safety and security concerns.
TVA is offering two exclusive tours to see the inside of Wilson Dam on August 4th and the 18th. Brooks said touring Wilson Dam gives Alabamians the chance to connect with state history that dates back generations.
“These dams are monuments to the early days of TVA. Wilson [Dam] I think actually predates TVA,” he said. “The Muscle Shoals area was the first headquarters of TVA back in the 1930s. There are a lot of ties to the community in Muscle Shoals, Florence, Sheffield [and] the surrounding communities. Of course, Wilson and Wheeler dams are just a couple of examples.”
Those interested in visiting Wilson Dam can register online at www.tva.org/90. Registration opens July 10th and closes July 23rd. Twenty applicants will be randomly selected to visit the dam on either day. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and cannot be TVA employees.
