TRVA Op-Ed in June 19, 2010 Tennessean
Chickamauga Lock: Important to Navigation and Recreation
The Tennessee River provides tremendous benefits and opportunities for Commercial Navigation, Recreation and the Environment throughout the Tennessee Valley Region. Recreational boaters, who according to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) contribute in excess of $20 million to the Tennessee Valley economy annually, and commercial navigation share many of the same interests that include: a safe, modern, reliable and well-maintained waterway infrastructure that preserves the environment while enhancing the quality of life for all who live in or visit the Tennessee Valley.
Navigation Locks at the nine mainstream dams on the Tennessee River have served the region since the systems’ completion in the 1940’s. This valuable waterway infrastructure allows commercial tows, and recreational craft of all shapes and sizes, year round access to the 652 mile-long mainstream channel of the Tennessee River, and its numerous tributaries, that stretches from above Knoxville, Tennessee through North Alabama and on to Paducah, Kentucky where the it meets the Ohio River.
Primarily built to enhance commerce and used extensively by recreational boaters, many of the Tennessee River’s aging navigation locks are near or beyond their design life. Completed in 1940, the Chickamauga Lock near Chattanooga, Tennessee is at an increasing risk of failure due to an Alkali Aggregate Reaction (concrete growth). The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and TVA have conducted feasibility studies that indicate the risk of catastrophic failure increases dramatically beyond 2010, and at some point will force the TVA to permanently close the Chickamauga Lock to all waterway traffic out of concerns for safety.
In addition to locking through 4,050 recreational vessels in 2009, that makes it the highest volume lock for recreation on the Tennessee River System, the Chickamauga Lock provides access to 318 miles of commercially navigable waterways that serve as a vital transportation artery critical to the economy of east Tennessee and the entire Tennessee Valley Region.
Commodities that pass through the Chickamauga Lock have origins or destinations in 17 states and travel an average of 1,400 miles. The eventual closure of the lock will have impacts in the heartland of America and beyond, making the Chickamauga Lock Replacement important to not only east Tennessee and the Tennessee Valley Region, but also to a large portion of the nation served by its 12,000 mile interconnected Inland Waterway Transportation System.
In 2005, preparation was begun for construction of a replacement lock that is to be built adjacent to the existing deteriorating structure. A cofferdam enclosure necessary to facilitate lock construction is scheduled for completion later this year and at that time; work at Chickamauga will be suspended for at least a decade. Funds for continued construction are not included in the President’s FY2011 Budget, and revenues of the Inland Waterways Trust Fund that are derived from the current diesel fuel tax of 20 cents per gallon paid by the commercial towing industry, are not sufficient to pay the 50 percent of construction costs for planned improvements and rehabilitation of the nations’ navigation infrastructure.
In a budget year when many of his colleagues in Congress are not requesting funding for projects in their states, U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander has courageously acknowledged the constitutionally mandated responsibility of Congress in the budget process stating, “When Tennesseans contact me about projects in Tennessee, it is not my job to give them the President’s phone number.” Senator Alexander has requested $26 million in the FY2011 Federal Budget to insure continued construction without suspension of the Chickamauga Lock Replacement Project.
Tennessee’s Senior Senator has also expressed strong support for recommendations of the Inland Marine Transportation System Capital Investment Strategy (IMTS-CIS). Consisting of members of the Inland Waterways Users Board and high-ranking officials of the USACE, a “White Paper Working Group” has worked for one year to develop the reforms that are also supported by U.S. Senators Corker (TN), Shelby (AL) and McConnell (KY) in the Tennessee Valley Region, the Tennessee River Valley Association (TRVA) and the commercial towing industry.
Key recommendations include: preservation of the 50 percent federal and 50 percent industry cost-sharing formula; prioritization of USACE Projects and improvement of the Corps’ ability to deliver projects on time and on budget; and increasing the fuel tax from the current 20 cents per gallon, to as much as 29 cents per gallon as needed to provide $110 million annually from the towing industry to fund navigation improvements and construction, thereby ensuring the timely completion of the Chickamauga Lock Replacement.
The Tennessee River Valley Association encourages support for U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander’s efforts in Congress on behalf of the Chickamauga Lock Replacement Project. In addition, Congress should immediately enact legislation that will implement the recommendations of IMTS-CIS that will not only assure the timely completion of the Chickamauga Lock Replacement Project, but will also provide a reliable funding source for future waterway infrastructure development and improvements throughout the nation.
These efforts will ensure the Tennessee River continues to provide the benefits and opportunities to Commercial Navigation, Recreation and the Environment that make vital contributions to the economy and quality of life in the Tennessee Valley Region.
