ABSTRACT
In 1933, the United States Congress created the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to help bring economic development and quality-of-life improvements to people living in the Tennessee River watershed. The TVA was one of the hallmarks of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal” program responding to the US “Great Depression.” From its inception, the primary goals of TVA have been providing flood control within the valley, assuring a navigable channel on the Tennessee River, and the provision of electric power (TVA 2010). A fourth goal, regional economic development, was added in later years.
