The Tennessee - Tombigbee Waterway

The Tennessee - Tombigbee Waterway. . In June 1985, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, opened the Tennessee - Tombigbee Waterway. This carefully planned engineering effort created a year-round commercial navigation route 234 miles long. Stretching from the rugged north Mississippi hills to the Black Prairie of central Alabama,, the waterway connects the Tennessee River, already a major commercial route, to the Tombigbee River. This connection cuts the distance from the Tennessee River in northern Alabama to the Gulf of Mexico by over 800 miles., Construction of the waterway system began in May 1971, when the first spade of dirt was turned by President Nixon. Construction occurred in three areas between the Tennessee and Tombigbee Rivers. First, a channel was cut through the high drainage divide at the northern end of the waterway. Called the Divide Section, this work was performed by the Nashville District. They also constructed the Jamie Whitten Lock and Dam at the southern end of the Divide. The Canal Section, constructed by the Mobile District, included construction of five additional locks and dams, creating a series of narrow lakes. In the River Section, from the Canal Section south the mouth of the Black Warrior River, the Mobile District built locks and dams near Aberdeen and Columbus, Mississippi, and near Aliceville (Tom Bevill Lock and Dam) and Gainesville, Alabama. This series of shallow lakes created a wider and straighter river. South of the River Section, the existing waterway to Mobile Bay passed through the previously constructed Demopolis Lock and Dam and the Cotteeville Lock and Dam. , Today the Tenn-Tom is used to transport millions of tons of commercial cargo each year. The Tenn-Tom saved companies millions of dollars in 1988 when a summer drought closed the Mississippi River to barge traffic. Unaffected by low water conditions, the waterway proved to be a viable alternative route to the Gulf of Mexico., The Tenn-Tom also provides recreational opportunities such as boating, camping, swimming, daily-use parks, and fishing. The Tenn-Tom Wildlife Mitigation Program includes over 80,000 acres of land on the Tenn-Tom Waterway. Another 100,000 acres are set aside for intensive wildlife management. These lands provide excellent opportunities for wildlife hunting and observation.