Watts Bar RLMP Amendment Draft
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WATTS BAR RESERVOIR LAND MANAGEMENT PLAN AMENDMENT VOLUME II FEBRUARY 2021 This page intentionally left blank Document Type: EA Administrative Record Index Field: Final EA Project Name: Watts Bar RLMP Amendment Project Number: 2017-5 WATTS BAR RESERVOIR Loudon, Meigs, Rhea, and Roane Counties, Tennessee Land Management Plan Amendment VOLUME II Prepared by Tennessee Valley Authority February 2021 This page intentionally left blank Contents Table of Contents APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................II LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................................II LIST OF FIGURES .....................................................................................................................II ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................... III CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Tennessee Valley Authority History .............................................................................. 2 1.2 Overview of TVA’s Mission and Environmental Policy ................................................... 3 1.2.1 TVA’s Mission ....................................................................................................... 3 1.2.2 Environmental Policy ............................................................................................ 3 1.2.3 Land Policy ........................................................................................................... 3 1.2.4 Shoreline Management Policy .............................................................................. 4 1.2.5 Section 26a of the TVA Act ................................................................................... 4 1.3 Natural Resource Plan ..................................................................................................6 1.3.1 Comprehensive Valleywide Land Plan .................................................................. 6 1.4 Purpose of Reservoir Lands Planning ........................................................................... 7 CHAPTER 2. REGIONAL OVERVIEW ...................................................................................... 9 2.1 History of Watts Bar Dam ..............................................................................................9 2.2 Watts Bar Reservoir and Present Shoreline ................................................................ 10 2.2.1 Kingston Fossil Plant Coal Ash Release ..............................................................12 2.2.2 Clinch River Site ..................................................................................................12 2.2.3 Natural Resource Management ...........................................................................13 2.2.4 Natural Areas .......................................................................................................13 2.2.5 Developed Recreation Areas ...............................................................................14 2.2.6 The Future Management of Reservoir Lands .......................................................16 2.3 Historical Overview of Watts Bar Reservoir Lands Planning ....................................... 16 2.3.1 1988 Watts Bar Reservoir Land Management Plan..............................................16 2.3.2 2009 Watts Bar Reservoir Land Management Plan..............................................16 2.3.3 2009 Watts Bar Reservoir Land Management Plan Errata Sheet .........................17 2.3.4 2012 Kingston Recovery Project Land Management Plan....................................18 2.4 The Watts Bar Land Plan Amendment ........................................................................ 18 2.4.1 Incorporation of Corrections and Updates ............................................................18 2.4.2 Land Use Allocation Changes ..............................................................................19 2.4.3 Detailed Parcel Descriptions and Updated Maps .................................................20 2.4.4 Updated Environmental Review Process for Parcel 109 ......................................20 i Watts Bar Reservoir Land Plan Amendment CHAPTER 3. LAND PLANNING PROCESS ........................................................................... 21 3.1 Process for Planning Land .......................................................................................... 21 3.1.1 Committed and Uncommitted Land ......................................................................23 3.1.2 Land Use Zone Definitions ...................................................................................24 3.1.3 Watts Bar Reservoir Land Plan Amendment Environmental Review ....................28 3.2 Reservoir Lands Planning Goals and Objectives ........................................................ 28 3.3 Parcel Allocations ....................................................................................................... 29 3.4 Property Administration ............................................................................................... 31 CHAPTER 4. PARCEL DESCRIPTIONS ................................................................................ 33 4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 33 CHAPTER 5. PLANNING TEAM ........................................................................................... 327 CHAPTER 6. LITERATURE CITED ...................................................................................... 331 GLOSSARY ........................................................................................................................ 332 APPENDICES Appendix A – Land Plan Panel Maps .......................................................................... 335 Appendix B – Allocation Change Exhibit Maps ........................................................... 345 Appendix C – Uncommitted Parcels ............................................................................ 355 LIST OF TABLES Table 1-1. Current and Comprehensive Valleywide Land Plan Allocation Ranges ................ 7 Table 2-2. TVA Natural Areas on Watts Bar Reservoir .........................................................14 Table 2-3. Summary of Developed Recreation Areas on TVA Public Land ...........................15 Table 2-3. Power Property Removed from Watts Bar Planned Land .....................................19 Table 2-4. Description of Amendment Allocation Changes ...................................................19 Table 3-1. Land Use Zone Definitions ...................................................................................24 Table 3-2. Summary of Amendment Allocation Changes ......................................................30 Table 3-3. Summary of Watts Bar Reservoir Allocation Designations ...................................30 Table 3-4. Allocation Range Comparisons ............................................................................31 Table A-1. Panel Map Parcel Directory ..............................................................................339 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1-1. Map of TVA-Managed Reservoir Land .................................................................. 5 Figure 2-1. Map of TVA-Managed Reservoir Lands on Watts Bar Reservoir ..........................11 ii Acronyms and Abbreviations ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS CRM Clinch River mile CVLP Comprehensive Valleywide Land Plan EA Environmental Assessment EIS Environmental Impact Statement EO Executive Order ERM Emory River mile kV Kilovolt msl Mean sea level NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NRP Natural Resource Plan RLMP Reservoir Land Management Plan ROW Right-of-way SMI Shoreline Management Initiative SMP Shoreline Management Policy SR Tennessee State Route TDEC Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation TRM Tennessee River mile TVA Tennessee Valley Authority TVA Act Tennessee Valley Authority Act of 1933 TVA Board Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors TWRA Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency U.S. United States US United States Highway Valley Tennessee River Valley region iii This page intentionally left blank Introduction CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION TVA manages approximately 293,000 acres of land along its reservoirs to protect the integrated operation of the TVA reservoir and power systems, to provide for appropriate public use and enjoyment of the reservoir system, and to ensure continuing economic growth in the Tennessee River Valley region (Valley). The Watts Bar Reservoir Land Management Plan (RLMP) Amendment is a compilation of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)-managed public lands surrounding Watts Bar Reservoir and serves to update the 2009 Watts Bar Reservoir Land Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (TVA 2009) and its supplements. In February 2009, TVA issued the final Watts Bar Reservoir Land Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (2009 RLMP and EIS), which examined the potential effects of several alternative methods to manage reservoir lands on Watts Bar Reservoir. TVA proposes to amend the 2009 Watts Bar RLMP and to alter the land use allocations on eight parcels affecting approximately 231 acres in response to new issues and changes in conditions