TVA looks to remove floating houses from state reservoirs
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) – A federal agency wants to remove floating houses from Tennessee reservoirs after a study shows that a large number of the homes have been built and docked over the past 10 years.
The Johnson City Press reports Washington County commissioners voted Monday to support a state Senate resolution urging the Tennessee Valley Authority to reject a provision that would require all houseboats to be removed within the next 20 years.
The TVA study reveals the rapid growth of unpermitted floating houses, or “non-navigable structures,” has raised concerns about potential environmental and safety impacts.
TVA amended its regulations in 1977 to prohibit non-navigable houseboats except for those existing before 1978.
The agency’s board of directors will hold a “listening session” for the public at a May 5 meeting in Buchanan.
