(a)(1) By December 31, 2031, all unencased (i.e., Styrofoam) flotation shall have been removed and replaced with flotation consistent with this subpart. Structures continuing to use unencased flotation after December 31, 2031, will be subject to removal under § 1304.406. Use or reuse of unencased flotation for repairs, replacement, or new construction is prohibited. Existing unencased flotation (secured in place prior to September 8, 2003) may continue to be used until December 31, 2031, so long as it remains attached and in good condition in TVA's judgement. If, in TVA's judgement, the flotation is no longer serviceable, it shall be replaced with approved flotation within 24 months upon notification from TVA.

(2) All flotation for docks, boat mooring buoys, floating cabins and attached structures, and other water-use structures and facilities, shall be of materials commercially manufactured for marine use. Flotation materials shall be fabricated so as not to crack, peel, fragment, become water-logged, or be subject to loss of beads. Flotation materials shall be resistant to puncture, penetration, damage by animals, and fire. Any flotation within 40 feet of a line carrying fuel shall be 100 percent impervious to water and fuel. Use of plastic, metal, or other previously used drums or containers for encasement or flotation purposes is prohibited, except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section for certain metal drums already in use. For any flotation devices or material, repair or replacement is required when it no longer performs its designated function or it exhibits any of the conditions prohibited by this subpart.

(b) Because of the possible release of toxic or polluting substances, and the hazard to navigation from metal drums that become partially filled with water and escape from docks, boathouses, houseboats, floats, and other water-use structures and facilities for which they are used for flotation, the use of metal drums in any form, except as authorized in paragraph (c) of this section, for flotation of any facilities is prohibited.

(c) Only metal drums which have been filled with plastic foam or other solid flotation materials and welded, strapped, or otherwise firmly secured in place prior to July 1, 1972, on existing facilities are permitted. Replacement of any metal drum flotation permitted to be used by this paragraph must be with a commercially manufactured flotation device or material specifically designed for marine applications (for example, pontoons, boat hulls, or other buoyancy devices made of steel, aluminum, fiberglass, or plastic foam, as provided for in paragraph (a) of this section).

(d) Every flotation device employed in the Tennessee River system must be firmly and securely affixed to the structure it supports with materials capable of withstanding prolonged exposure to wave wash and weather conditions.