(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.

No person operating a commercial boat dock permitted under this part shall allow the mooring at such permitted facility of any watercraft or floating structure equipped with a marine sanitation device (MSD) unless such MSD is in compliance with all applicable statutes and regulations, including the FWPCA and regulations issued thereunder, and, where applicable, statutes and regulations governing “no discharge” zones.

Applicants for a wastewater outfall shall provide copies of all Federal, State, and local permits, licenses, and approvals required for the facility prior to applying for TVA approval, or shall concurrently with the TVA application apply for such approvals. A section 26a permit shall not be issued until other required water quality approvals are obtained, and TVA reserves the right to impose additional requirements.

All pump-out facilities constructed after September 8, 2003 shall meet the following minimum design and operating requirements:

(a) Spill-proof connection with shipboard holding tanks;

(b) Suction controls or vacuum breaker capable of limiting suction to such levels as will avoid collapse of rigid holding tanks;

(c) Available fresh water facilities for tank flushing;

(d) Check valve and positive cut-off or other device to preclude spillage when breaking connection with vessel being severed;

(e) Adequate interim storage where storage is necessary before transfer to approved treatment facilities;

(f) No overflow outlet capable of discharging effluent into the reservoir;

(g) Alarm system adequate to notify the operator when the holding tank is full;

(h) Convenient access to holding tanks and piping system for purposes of inspection;

(i) Spill-proof features adequate for transfer of sewage from all movable floating pump-out facilities to shore-based treatment plants or intermediate transfer facilities;

(j) A reliable disposal method consisting of:

(1) An approved upland septic system that meets TVA, State, and local requirements; or

(2) Proof of a contract with a sewage disposal contractor; and

(k) A written statement to TVA certifying that the system shall be operated and maintained in such a way as to prevent any discharge or seepage of wastewater or sewage into the reservoir.

The landward limits of commercial marina harbor areas are determined by the extent of land rights held by the dock operator. The lakeward limits of harbors at commercial marinas will be designated by TVA on the basis of the size and extent of facilities at the dock, navigation and flood control requirements, optimum use of lands and land rights owned by the United States, carrying capacity of the reservoir area in the vicinity of the marina, and on the basis of the environmental effects associated with the use of the harbor. Mooring buoys, slips, breakwaters, and permanent anchoring are prohibited beyond the lakeward extent of harbor limits. TVA may, at its discretion, reconfigure harbor limits based on changes in circumstances, including but not limited to, changes in the ownership of the land base supporting the marina.

Fuel storage tanks and handling facilities are generally either underground (UST) or aboveground (AST) storage tank systems. An UST is any one or combination of tanks or tank systems defined in applicable Federal or State regulations as an UST. Typically (unless otherwise provided by applicable Federal or State rules), an UST is used to contain a regulated substance (such as a petroleum product) and has 10 percent or more of its total volume beneath the surface of the ground. The total volume includes any piping used in the system. An UST may be a buried tank, or an aboveground tank with buried piping if the piping holds 10 percent or more of the total system volume including the tank. For purposes of this part, an aboveground storage tank (AST) is any storage tank whose total volume (piping and tank) is less than 10 percent underground or any storage tank defined by applicable law or regulation as an AST.

(a) TVA requires the following to be included in all applications submitted after September 8, 2003 to install an UST or any part of an UST system below the 500-year flood elevation on a TVA reservoir, or regulated tailwater:

(1) A copy of the State approval for the UST along with a copy of the application sent to the State and any plans or drawings that were submitted for the State's review;

(2) Evidence of secondary containment for all piping or other systems associated with the UST;

(3) Evidence of secondary containment to contain leaks from gas pump(s);

(4) Calculations certified by a licensed, professional engineer in the relevant State showing how the tank will be anchored so that it does not float during flooding; and

(5) Evidence, where applicable, that the applicant has complied with all spill prevention, control and countermeasures (SPCC) requirements.

(b) The applicant must accept and sign a document stating that the applicant shall at all times be the owner of the UST system, that TVA shall have the right (but no duty) to prevent or remedy pollution or violations of law, including removal of the UST system, with costs charged to the applicant, that the applicant shall at all times maintain and operate the UST system in full compliance with applicable Federal, State, and local UST regulations, and that the applicant shall maintain eligibility in any applicable State trust fund.

(c) An application to install an AST or any part of an AST system below the 500-year elevation on a TVA reservoir or a regulated tailwater is subject to all of the requirements of paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section except that paragraph (a)(1) shall not apply in States that do not require application or approval for installation of an AST. Eligibility must be maintained for any applicable AST trust fund, and the system must be maintained and operated in accordance with any applicable AST regulations. The applicant must notify and obtain any required documents or permission from the State fire marshal's office prior to installation of the AST. The applicant must also follow the National Fire Protection Association Codes 30 and 30A for installation and maintenance of flammable and combustible liquids storage tanks at marine service stations.

(d) Fuel handling on private, non-commercial docks and piers. TVA will not approve the installation, operation, or maintenance of fuel handling facilities on any private, non-commercial dock or pier.

(e) Floating fuel handling facilities. TVA will not approve the installation of any floating fuel handling facility or fuel storage tank.

(f) Demonstration of financial responsibility. Applicants for a fuel handling facility to be located in whole or in part on TVA land shall be required to provide TVA, in a form and amount acceptable to TVA, a surety bond, irrevocable letter of credit, pollution liability insurance, or other evidence of financial responsibility in the event of a release.

If, at any time, any dock, wharf, boathouse (fixed or floating), floating cabin, outfall, aerial cable or other fixed or floating structure or facility (including any navigable boat or vessel that has become deteriorated or is a potential navigation hazard or impediment to flood control) is anchored, installed, constructed or moored in a manner inconsistent with this part, or is not constructed in accordance with TVA's approval or plans approved by TVA, or is not maintained or operated so as to remain in accordance with this part and such approval or plans, or is not kept in a good state of repair and in good, safe and substantial condition, and the owner or operator thereof fails to repair or remove such structure (or operate or maintain it in accordance with such approval or plans) within ninety (90) days after written notice from TVA to do so, TVA may cancel any license, permit, or approval and remove such structure, and/or cause it to be removed, from the Tennessee River system and/or lands in the custody and control of TVA. Such written notice may be given by mailing a copy thereof to the owner's address as listed on the license, permit, or approval or by posting a copy on the structure or facility. TVA may remove or cause to be removed any such structure or facility anchored, installed, constructed, or moored without such license, permit, or approval, whether such license or approval has once been obtained and subsequently canceled, or whether it has never been obtained. TVA's removal costs shall be charged to the owner of the structure, and payment of such costs shall be a condition of approval for any future facility proposed to serve the tract of land at issue or any tract derived therefrom whether or not the current owner caused such charges to be incurred. In addition, any applicant with an outstanding removal charge payable to TVA shall, until such time as the charge be paid in full, be ineligible to receive a permit or approval from TVA for any facility located anywhere along or in the Tennessee River or its tributaries. TVA shall not be responsible for the loss of property associated with the removal of any such structure or facility including, without limitation, the loss of any navigable boat or vessel moored at such a facility. Any costs voluntarily incurred by TVA to protect and store such property shall be removal costs within the meaning of this section, and TVA may sell such property and apply the proceeds toward any and all of its removal costs. Small businesses seeking expedited consideration of the economic impact of actions under this section may contact TVA's Supplier and Diverse Business Relations staff, TVA Procurement, 1101 Market Street, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402-2801.

(a) Activities involving development within the flood control storage zone on TVA reservoirs will be reviewed to determine if the proposed activity qualifies as a repetitive action. Under TVA's implementation of Executive Order 11988, Floodplain Management, repetitive actions are projects within a class of actions TVA has determined to be approvable without further review and documentation related to flood control storage, provided the loss of flood control storage caused by the project does not exceed one acre-foot. A partial list of repetitive actions includes:

(1) Private and public water-use facilities;

(2) Commercial recreation boat dock and water-use facilities;

(3) Water intake structures;

(4) Outfalls;

(5) Mooring and loading facilities for barge terminals;

(6) Minor grading and fills; and

(7) Bridges and culverts for pedestrian, highway, and railroad crossings.

(b) Projects resulting in flood storage loss in excess of one acre-foot will not be considered repetitive actions.

(c) For projects not qualifying as repetitive actions, the applicant shall be required, as appropriate, to evaluate alternatives to the placement of fill or the construction of a project within the flood control storage zone that would result in lost flood control storage. The alternative evaluation would either identify a better option or support and document that there is no reasonable alternative to the loss of flood control storage. If this determination can be made, the applicant must then demonstrate how the loss of flood control storage will be minimized.

(1) In addition, documentation shall be provided regarding:

(i) The amount of anticipated flood control storage loss;

(ii) The cost of compensation of the displaced flood control storage (how much it would cost to excavate material from the flood control storage zone, haul it to an upland site and dispose of it);

(iii) The cost of mitigation of the displaced flood control storage (how much it would cost to excavate material from another site within the flood control storage zone, haul it to the project site and use as the fill material);

(iv) The cost of the project; and

(v) The nature and significance of any economic and/or natural resource benefits that would be realized as a result of the project.

(2) TVA may, in its discretion, decline to permit any project that would result in the loss of flood control storage.

(d) Recreational vehicles parked or placed within flood control storage zones of TVA reservoirs shall be deemed an obstruction affecting navigation, flood control, or public lands or reservations within the meaning of section 26a of the Act unless they:

(1) Remain truly mobile and ready for highway use. The unit must be on its wheels or a jacking system and be attached to its site by only quick disconnect type utilities;

(2) Have no permanently attached additions, connections, foundations, porches, or similar structures; and

(3) Have an electrical cutoff switch that is located above the flood control zone and fully accessible during flood events.

The Vice President or the designee thereof is authorized, following consideration whether a proposed structure or other regulated activity would adversely impact navigation, flood control, public lands or reservations, power generation, the environment, or sensitive environmental resources, or would be incompatible with surrounding uses or inconsistent with an approved TVA reservoir land management plan, to approve a structure or activity that varies from the requirements of this part in minor aspects.

(a) Recreational vessels' moorage at unpermitted locations along the water's edge of any TVA reservoir may not exceed 14 consecutive days at any one place or at any place within one mile thereof.

(b) Recreational vessels may not establish temporary moorage within the limits of primary or secondary navigation channels.

(c) Moorage lines of recreational vessels may not be placed in such a way as to block or hinder boating access to any part of the reservoir.

(d) Permanent or extended moorage of a recreational vessel along the shoreline of any TVA reservoir without approval under section 26a of the TVA Act is prohibited.

(a) Except for the placement of riprap along the shoreline, structures, land based or water use, shall not be located within the limits of safety harbors and landings established for commercial navigation.

(b) Structures shall not be located in such a way as to block the visibility of navigation aids. Examples of navigation aids are lights, dayboards, and directional signs.

(c) The establishment of “no-wake” zones outside approved harbor limits is prohibited at marinas or community dock facilities that are adjacent to or near a commercial navigation channel. In such circumstances, facility owners may, upon approval from TVA, install a floating breakwater along the harbor limit to reduce wave and wash action.

Fish attractors constitute potential obstructions and require TVA approval.

(a) Fish attractors may be constructed of anchored brush piles, log cribs, and/or spawning benches, stake beds, vegetation, or rock piles, provided they meet “TVA Guidelines for Fish Attractor Placement in TVA Reservoirs” (TVA 1997).

(b) When established in connection with an approved dock, fish attractors shall not project more than 30 feet out from any portion of the dock.

(c) Any floatable materials must be permanently anchored.

Except as the context may otherwise require, the following words or terms, when used in this part 1304, have the meaning specified in this section.

100-year floodplain means that area inundated by the one percent annual chance (or 100-year) flood.

500-year floodplain means that area inundated by the 0.2 percent annual chance (or 500-year) flood; any land susceptible to inundation during the 500-year or greater flood.

Act means the Tennessee Valley Authority Act of 1933, as amended.

Applicant means the person, corporation, State, municipality, political subdivision or other entity making application to TVA.

Application means a written request for the approval of plans pursuant to the regulations contained in this part.

Attached structure means a floating deck, walkway, platform, slip, Jet Ski port, or other floating structure that supports the use of a floating cabin and can be detached from the floating cabin. Attached structures are not considered part of the monolithic frame of a floating cabin.

Backlot means a residential lot not located adjacent to the shoreland but located in a subdivision associated with the shoreland.

Board means the Board of Directors of TVA.

Chief Executive Officer means the Chief Executive Officer, TVA.

Combined floating cabin means a single floating cabin that replaces two or more existing floating cabins.

Committee means a committee of the TVA Board of Directors that has been designated by the TVA Board to hear appeals under this regulation.

Community outlot means a subdivision lot located adjacent to the shoreland and designated by deed, subdivision covenant, or recorded plat as available for use by designated property owners within the subdivision.

Dredging means the removal of material from a submerged location, primarily for deepening harbors and waterways.

Enclosed structure means a structure enclosed overhead and on all sides so as to keep out the weather. Floor space shall not be considered enclosed if three of the four walls are constructed of wire or screen mesh from floor to ceiling, and the wire or screen mesh leaves the interior of the structure open to the weather.

Existing floating cabin means a floating cabin that was located or moored on the Tennessee River System as of December 16, 2016.

Floating cabin means a nonnavigable houseboat approved by TVA as of December 16, 2016, and other floating structures moored on the Tennessee River System and determined by TVA in its sole discretion to be designed and used primarily for human habitation or occupation and not designed and used primarily for navigation or transportation on the water.

Flood control storage means the volume within an elevation range on a TVA reservoir that is reserved for the storage of floodwater.

Flood control storage zone means the area within an elevation range on a TVA reservoir that is reserved for the storage of floodwater. TVA shall, upon request, identify the contour marking the upper limit of the flood control storage zone at particular reservoir locations.

Flood risk profile elevation means the elevation of the 500-year flood that has been adjusted for surcharge at the dam. Surcharge is the ability to raise the water level behind the dam above the top-of-gates elevation.

Flowage easement shoreland means privately-owned properties where TVA has the right to flood the land.

Footprint means the total water surface area of either a square or rectangular shape occupied by a floating cabin or adjoining property owner's dock, pier, boathouse, or boatwells.

Full summer pool means the targeted elevation to which TVA plans to fill each reservoir during its annual operating cycle. Applicants are encouraged to consult the appropriate TVA Watershed Team or the TVA website to obtain the full summer pool elevation for the reservoir in question at the time the application is submitted.

Land-based structure means any structure constructed on ground entirely above the full summer pool elevation of a TVA reservoir but below the maximum shoreline contours of that reservoir.

Maximum shoreline contour means an elevation typically five feet above the top of the gates of a TVA dam. It is sometimes the property boundary between TVA property and adjoining private property.

Monolithic frame means the supporting floor structure of a floating cabin that is constructed as one rigid component. It specifically excludes any attached structures, such as decks and platforms, regardless of when they were connected or how they are connected (e.g., pins, hinges, bolts, ropes).

New floating cabin means a floating cabin that was not located or moored on the Tennessee River System as of December 16, 2016.

Owner or landowner ordinarily means all of the owners of a parcel of land. Except as otherwise specifically provided in this part, in all cases where TVA approval is required to engage in an activity and the applicant's eligibility to seek approval depends on status as an owner of real property, the owner or owners of only a fractional interest or of fractional interests totaling less than one in any such property shall not be considered, by virtue of such fractional interest or interests only, to be an owner and as such eligible to seek approval to conduct the activity without the consent of the other co-owners. In cases where the applicant owns water access rights across adjoining private property that borders TVA-owned shoreland, TVA may exercise its discretion to consider such person an owner, taking into account the availability of the shoreline to accommodate similarly situated owners and such other factors as TVA deems to be appropriate. In subdivisions where TVA had an established practice prior to September 8, 2003 of permitting individual or common water-use facilities on or at jointly-owned lots without the consent of all co-owners, TVA may exercise its discretion to continue such practice, taking into account the availability of the shoreline to accommodate similarly situated owners and other factors as TVA deems to be appropriate; provided, however, that the issuance of a TVA permit conveys no property interests, and the objections of a co-owner may be a basis for revocation of the permit.

Rebuilding means replacement of all or a significant portion of an approved obstruction to the same configuration, total footprint, and dimensions (length, width, and height of the obstruction or enclosed or open space) as the approved plans, standards, and conditions of the section 26a permit.

Shoreland means the surface of land lying between minimum winter pool elevation of a TVA reservoir and the maximum shoreline contour.

Shoreline means the line where the water of a TVA reservoir meets the shore when the water level is at the full summer pool elevation.

Shoreline Management Zone (SMZ) means a 50-foot-deep vegetated zone designated by TVA on TVA-owned land.

Structural modification means any alteration to the dimensions (length, width, and height of the obstruction or enclosed or open space), footprint, or approved plans of a structure.

Tennessee River System means TVA reservoirs, the Tennessee River or any of the Tennessee River's tributaries.

TVA means the Tennessee Valley Authority.

TVA Investigating Officer means a TVA employee or a person under contract to TVA appointed by the Vice President or the CEO to investigate any issue concerning an appeal of a decision on an application under this part.

TVA property means real property owned by the United States and under the custody and control of TVA.

Vice President means the Vice President, Natural Resources, TVA, or a position with functionally equivalent supervisory responsibilities.

Water-based structure means any structure, fixed or floating, constructed on or in navigable waters of the United States.

Winter drawdown elevation means the elevation to which a reservoir water level is lowered during fall to provide storage capacity for winter and spring floodwaters.

Winter pool means the lowest level expected for the reservoir during the flood season.