1. Tennessee Valley Authority
The History of Surveying at TVA
The Kentucky Association of Professional Surveyors
45th Annual Conference & Exhibition
Dallas Sluss
Tennessee Valley Authority
Good morning. Welcome. Hope you’re enjoying the conference so far. I was asked to present some of the history of the TVA and specifically the surveying history at TVA.

2. KAPS TVA Surveying organization General History and metrics about TVA
TVA Surveying History
1940s video
Barry will discuss Surveying – Mapping – Legal Descriptions
This morning we’ll talk first about where the surveying organization fits into TVA, then a little of the general history and metrics about TVA, then we’ll discuss the surveying history. Then finally I have a treat for you we’ll watch a video from the 1940’s about the surveying and mapping at TVA.

4. By show of hands how many of you are from the Tennessee Valley?

5. TVA History General History Federal Corporation
Created by Congress on May 18, 1933
Seven State Region (Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Virginia)
Major Offices in Knoxville, Chattanooga & Nashville, TN & Muscle Shoals, AL
We are a FDR program

6. TVA History General History Nation’s Largest Wholesale Power Producer
Generating capacity of 31,500 megawatts
Serves 8.3 million people over 80,000 sq. miles through 158 power distributors
Power Facilities
3 nuclear plants
11 coal fired plants
29 hydroelectric dams
6 Combined Cycle (gas)
9 Combustion Turbines (gas)
1 pumped storage
17,000 miles of transmission lines

7. TVA History General History Steward of Tennessee River
Integrated Resource Management
Land
480,000 acres of recreation lakes
47+ Reservations & Reservoirs
Water
5th Largest US river system
11,000 miles of public shoreline
650 navigable miles
9 dams from Paducah, KY to Knoxville, TN
20 dams for flood control
Integrated Resource Management is key to the Land Water Environment Power and Development

8. TVA History General History Environment Soil Conservation
Fertilization
Fish & Wildlife Habitats
Mosquito control (aka Vector control)
Water Quality
That concludes the TVA background… now let’s move to the Surveying history at TVA

9. TVA Surveying History Planimetric & Topographic 7 1/2’ Quadrangle
Cooperative arrangement with USGS
896± Quad sheets
Photogrammetry
Techniques created and mastered by TVA & USGS
Aerial Photography archive

10. TVA Surveying History Aerial Photograph Finished Quad Map
Who knew that the modern photogrammetric processes started between a cooperative arrangement between NGS and TVA in Chattanooga?
Finished Quad Map

11. Planimetric & Topographic
TVA Surveying History
Planimetric & Topographic
This new photogrammetric process would be used to map the entire TN Valley. New reservoirs would be built, flooding would be mitigated, and the area would be able to economically prosper. Only graduates from top colleges would be employed in these new processes.
In just a few short years these same techniques would be put to global use.

12. TVA Surveying History Planimetric & Topographic War Services (WW II)
500,000 sq. miles of foreign soil mapped
60,000 tons of elemental phosphorus used for incendiaries, smoke screens, etc. (3/5 produced)
Cherokee Dam built in 16 months
Peak employeement of 42,000
Douglas Dam built in 12 months 17 days
Major power supplier of Oak Ridge National Laboratory

13. TVA Surveying History
Control
Horizontal
Vertical

14. TVA Surveying History
Control Surveying

15. TVA Surveying History
Control Surveying

16. TVA Surveying History
Control Surveying

17. TVA Surveying History
Control Surveying

18. TVA Surveying History
Control Surveying

19. TVA Surveying History
Control Surveying

20. TVA Surveying History Reservoir / Reservation Hydrographic Relocations
Navigation
Stream Gages
Relocations
Road
Utility
Cemetery

21. TVA SurveyingHistory
Hydro-graphic

22. TVA Surveying History
Road Relocations
Relocations
Road

23. TVA Surveying History
Cemetery Relocations

24. TVA Surveying History Reservoir / Reservation Cadastral
Preliminary Land Ownership (PLO)
Land Acquisition
Fee
Easement
C - Stage
Land Sale
D - Stage

25. Cadastral Plane Table Mapping
TVA Surveying History
Cadastral Plane Table Mapping

26. Cadastral Plane Table Mapping
TVA Surveying History
Cadastral Plane Table Mapping

27. Cadastral Plane Table Mapping
TVA Surveying History
Cadastral Plane Table Mapping

28. TVA Surveying History
Cadastral Field Book

29. Cadastral Computation Sheet
TVA Surveying History
Cadastral Computation Sheet

30. Cadastral Solar Observation
TVA Surveying History
Cadastral Solar Observation

31. TVA Surveying History Reservation Maps Sub-station Trans-mission
Land Sale
Land Sale
Land Acquisition
C-Stage
D-Stage

32. TVA Surveying Modern Surveying Equipment Total Stations GPS Receivers
Electronic Levels
Scanner

33. TVA Surveying Modern Surveying Survey Types Control Topographic
Engineering
Cadastral
Land Sale
Boundary Marking
Land Acquisition
Industrial Metrology

34. TVA Surveying
Modern Surveying

35. TVA Surveying
Modern Surveying

36. TVA Surveying Contacts TVA Web Site Map Store Survey Control
Map Store
1-800-MAPS-TVA or
Survey Control
Sheree Vincent or
General Surveying
Dallas Sluss or
Barry Savage or