Wilson Dam in Northwest Alabama has not had visitors since 2018 due to security concerns, but some residents get the chance to tour it again this August.
The Tennessee Valley Authority celebrated its 90th anniversary last month. It is the largest federal utility company in the country, providing electricity to 153 power companies in Alabama and six other states. To honor this achievement, TVA has opened registration to tour seven of its reserved dams, including Wilson Dam.
The dam connects Florence to Muscle Shoals. It is the only Alabama dam in the TVA system available for tours. Dams in Kentucky, North Caroline and Tennessee will also see visitors this summer.
TVA Spokesperson Scott Brooks said these tours have been a long time coming.
“This is the first opportunity visitors get to see a lot of these dams since 9/11,” he said. “We certainly know there is a lot of interest in these tours, but for safety and security concerns we have to limit what we can offer.”
Registration opens July 10 and closes July 23. Twenty applicants will be randomly selected to attend each tour. Two groups will visit the dam on August 4 and another two groups will visit on August 18. Winning applicants will be notified by email on July 28.
Brooks said these tours give residents the chance to learn the importance of these human-made structures.
“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.”
Wilson Dam is the largest hydroelectric facility in the Tennessee Valley, making it an essential source of electricity for the area. Wilson Dam is also used for vessel travel and flood storage.
Brooks said these tours also give Alabamians an opportunity to reconnect with state history.
“These dams are monuments to the early days of TVA,” he said. “Wilson actually predates TVA. 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.”
Alabamians interested can apply online at www.tva.com/90. Safety protocols and other information will be provided to winning applicants via email.
