HISTORY
During the Great Depression, the Tennessee River Valley was hit hard. It did not help that the soil was unsuitable for farming, the best timber had been chopped down, and frequent devastating floods. FDA signed the TVA Act on May 18, 1933. TVA was one of FDA’s most innovative ideas. TVA was established to control floods, improve navigation, improve the living standards of farmers, and to produce electrical power to along the Tennessee River. TVA was a massive program building dams, hydroelectric plants, and flood-controlling projects. TVA also developed fertilizers, taught farmers how to improve crop yields, replanted forests, and control forest fires. Electricity made life easier and farms a lot more productive. The abundance of electricity in the area attracted industries to the job-deprived area. All of the work of TVA resulted in a higher standard of living in the area. TVA now serves the states of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. TVA covers over 80,000 square miles and serves more than 9 million people. Since the completion of over 50 dams no major flooding has occurred in the area. Along with having over 50 dams, TVA also operates coal-fired thermal plants, and nuclear plants. Thanks to TVA electric rates in the Tennessee River Valley are one of the lowest in the nation. TVA is the nation's largest public power producer.