THE SHOALS– on Wednesday, September 1 The Tennessee Valley Authority issued an update on the sunken 600-foot long floating boom wall:
“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District is conducting trials this afternoon with the barge industry to ascertain whether it is safe to navigate through Wilson Lock using helper boats and different configurations of barges.
Safety is the Corps’ main concern with operating the lock given the sunken 600-foot long floating boom wall on the upstream side of the lock. The Corps expects to provide an update to the navigation industry regarding operations at Wilson Lock based on the findings of today’s trials. The Corps and Tennessee Valley Authority continue to assess the condition of the sunken guide wall and the best path forward. The incident remains under investigation.
TVA is currently using remote operated vehicles to safely inspect the wall and divers are on stand-by if needed. TVA reports that there are no safety, environmental or operational impacts to Wilson Dam.”
Media Release/Malinda Hunter
Public/Media Relations/TVA
