FLORENCE, Ala. (July 27, 2026) – Aimed at strengthening the Tennessee River's vital commercial corridor, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam R. Telle toured Wilson Lock last week to review navigation operations and discuss collaborative infrastructure modernization strategies with the Tennessee Valley Authority.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District operates and maintains the navigation mission while TVA owns the infrastructure assets in the Tennessee River System and maintains responsibility for budgeting and recapitalization. The two federal agencies maintain a longstanding and successful partnership coordinating reservoir operations, maintaining navigation, and balancing competing basin-wide demands for energy, water, and flood control.
This collaborative relationship was on full display last year when USACE completed emergency repairs at Wilson Lock. Leveraging the Economy Act, USACE utilized the TVA Power Services Shop to manufacture critical miter gate components. The Nashville District highly values this integrated approach and aims to replicate it to accelerate project delivery system-wide, including critical gate replacements. This cooperative method directly aligns with the “Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork” initiative, championed by Telle, which focuses on delivering critical infrastructure faster and more efficiently by cutting through bureaucratic red tape.
To build on this momentum and clarify future modernization strategies, Telle is requesting a refreshment of a 1962 memorandum of agreement (MOA) between USACE and TVA that would modernize the process for capital reinvestment, operations and maintenance. The goal is to keep the Tennessee River’s navigation locks operating at peak efficiency for the foreseeable future.
“A lot of the infrastructure has challenges; much of it was built in the last century and is aging,” Telle said. “Part of the reason we’re driving the ‘Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork’ initiative is to remind the entire enterprise of the Corps of Engineers that we must work together — not only to take excellent care of this infrastructure but to make the strategic investments necessary to ensure it serves the next generation.”
During the visit, James Everett, TVA’s general manager for River Operations, spoke with Telle to discuss TVA’s integrated roles in asset management and river operations.
“TVA is dedicated to promoting navigation and flood control for the Tennessee River,” Everett said. “We recognize that these assets are aging, and we are working on a plan to replace major components.”
Everett explained that TVA funds its operations through electricity sales rather than federal appropriations. While large capital projects are typically debt-funded under a statutory debt ceiling established in the 1970s, Everett emphasized that the existing MOA between USACE and TVA provides the vital operational flexibility needed to respond to major outages, such as the emergency repairs at Wilson Lock a year ago. The agreement allowed TVA to quickly procure materials and equipment to expedite the repairs, he stressed.
“We want to maintain these assets and keep them fully operational, both for commercial navigation and overall project safety,” Everett said. “I hope the key takeaway is that this partnership is working.”
To see the infrastructure firsthand, Telle was joined on the July 20 tour by Brig. Gen. Dan Herlihy, commanding general of the USACE Great Lakes and Ohio River Division; Lt. Col. Guillermo Guandique, USACE Nashville District commander; Tim Fudge, Nashville District Operations Division chief; and local lock operators, maintainers, and engineers. The group inspected the 600-foot by 110-foot main lock chamber, which is owned by TVA and operated by USACE.
The Nashville District originally completed construction of the Wilson Dam and Lock in 1925, before transferring the project to TVA in 1933. To replace an outdated double-lift system, TVA completed the modern single-lift main lock in November 1959, followed by the reopening of a modified auxiliary lock in February 1961.
Today, Wilson Lock is one of 10 TVA navigation lock projects in the Tennessee River System. It facilitates the passage of more than 2,800 government, commercial, and recreational vessels annually, carrying 11.1 million tons of cargo. This includes vital shipments of coal, petroleum, manufactured goods, agricultural products, chemicals, and aerospace components bound for regional ports in Florence, Decatur, and Guntersville, Alabama, as well as Chattanooga, Tennessee.
For Telle, seeing the heavy commercial traffic firsthand underscored the strategic value of the waterway.
“This region is incredibly important, and it would not have the same access to robust commerce if not for this critical infrastructure,” Telle said. “Seeing the navigation lock and barges in action is a powerful visual reminder of the investments our nation has made to open the Tennessee Valley to the global economy.”
The public can obtain news, updates and information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District on the district’s website at[https://www.lrd.usace.army.mil/About/Districts/Nashville-District/](https://www.lrd.usace.army.mil/About/Districts/Nashville-District/), on Facebook at[www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps](http://www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps)and on X (formerly Twitter) at[www.x.com/nashvillecorps](http://www.x.com/nashvillecorps). Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest Nashville District employment and contracting opportunities at[https://www.linkedin.com/company/u-s-army-corps-of-engineers-nashville-district](https://www.linkedin.com/company/u-s-army-corps-of-engineers-nashville-district).
| Date Taken: |
07.27.2026 |
| Date Posted: |
07.27.2026 13:10 |
| Story ID: |
570800 |
| Location: |
FLORENCE, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: |
26 |
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0 |
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