Tennessee
The State of Tennessee contains over 600 miles of navigable
waterways in the Ohio River basin. The major waterways are the
Tennessee River (miles 61 to 215 and 417 to 652) and the
Cumberland River (miles 75 to 381). Tennessee also contains the
Hiwassee, Clinch, Emory, Holston and French Broad and Little
Pigeon Rivers, which are all tributaries of the Tennessee River.
In 2007, almost 29 million tons of commodities (mostly coal,
aggregates, and iron/steel) moved to, from, and within
Tennessee. These commodities had a combined value of over $4.1
billion. Coal made up 52% of this tonnage, followed by
aggregates with 24%.
Tennessee 2007 Commodities Moved
To, from and within the State
(values in millions of dollars)
Commodity Shipped Received Within Total Value
Coal 0 14,915,976 0 14,915,976 $569
Petroleum 527,851 963,372 129,015 1,620,238 $320
Aggregates 270,614 4,834,361 1,897,796 7,002,771 $260
Grain 372,623 112,529 0 485,152 $79
Chemicals 83,052 547,183 ** 630,235 $313
Ores/Minerals ** 890,617 ** 890,617 $92
Iron/Steel 846,031 871,647 ** 1,717,678 $1,622
Other 97,584 1,490,363 78,964 1,666,911 $644
TOTAL 2,197,755 24,626,048 2,105,775 28,929,578 $3,899
** Insufficient barge operators to release this tonnage – included in “Other
Commodities”
Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterborne Commerce Statistics
Shipments on Ohio River Basin Waterways Only
An analysis of the waterborne commerce data for the State of
Tennessee shows that almost 2.2 million tons of commodities were
shipped on the river system out of the state. A sizeable
portion of this tonnage consisted of of petroleum to Kentucky
and aggregates such as limestone, iron/steel and grain moving to
Alabama, Arkansas, and Texas. Docks in the state received over
24.6 million tons, with three Tennessee Valley Authority power
plants receiving over 14.4 million tons of coal for use in
electric power generation. In 2007, almost 29 million tons
shipped to, from and within Tennessee were worth over $3.8
billion.
Tennessee docks shipped and received commodities by barge to and
from 14 states. Kentucky was the Volunteer State’s top trading
partner, with over 13.6 million tons moving on barges between
the states. Tennessee docks shipped goods such as gasoline and
iron/steel to Kentucky, while Kentucky docks supplied most of
the coal moving by barge to the Tennessee TVA utility plants and
aggregates.
Tennessee 2007 Commodities
Shipped by Barge to and from Other States
(values in millions of dollars)
Shipments Top Shipments Top
Tons Value Tons Value
To Commodity From Commodity
Kentucky 614,902 $372 Petroleum Kentucky 13,038,030 $710 Coal
Alabama 521,127 $468 Iron/Steel Illinois 7,272,737 $381 Coal
Arkansas 329,668 $132 Aggregates Louisiana 1,941,609 $474 Ores/Minerals
Louisiana 318,294 $60 Grain Pennsylvania 645,521 $87 Coal
Indiana 187,998 $25 Petroleum Missouri 573,499 $36 Others
Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterborne Commerce Statistics
Shipments on Ohio River Basin Waterways Only
There are 116 manufacturing facilities, terminals, and docks in
Tennessee that shipped and received tonnage in 2007. The Port
of Nashville, which includes 13 miles of the Cumberland River
(miles 182 to 194) shipped and received almost 4.3 million tons
of commodities in 2007, with most of the tonnage being receipts
of sand, gravel, asphalt and iron/steel.
There are nine navigation locks and dams in Tennessee’s portion
of the Ohio River basin (see map). Chickamauga Lock has a
history of problems associated with concrete expansion. The
existing lock requires aggressive maintenance to confront its
Alkali Aggregate Reaction (AAR) problem. This expansion of
concrete features is causing misalignment of mechanical
components and would eventually cause the lock to be closed.
Congress has authorized construction of a 110’ x 600’
replacement lock riverward of the existing structure which will
remove four of the existing spillway bays. Project construction
began with utility relocations in 2004 and will continue with
road and bridge relocations in 2006.
Tennessee - 2007 Lock Tonnage
(tons in thousands)
Location Lock Tonnage
Lock
River Mile Upbound Downbound Total
Cheatham Cumberland 148.7 9,546 483 10,029
Old Hickory Cumberland 216.2 4,370 6 4,376
Cordell Hull Cumberland 313.5 * * *
Pickwick Landing Tennessee 206.7 11,803 2,914 14,717
Nickajack Tennessee 424.7 1,921 559 2,480
Chickamauga Tennessee 471.0 797 197 994
Watts Bar Tennessee 529.9 484 117 601
Fort Loudoun Tennessee 602.3 350 65 415
Melton Hill Clinch 23.1 0 0 0
* LPMS Data is not collected at Cordell Hull or Melton Hill Locks
Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lock Performance Monitoring System