U.S. senators try to sink TVA’s policy on houseboats
Agency has banned new floating homes from its waters
North Carolina’s two U.S. senators have introduced legislation to nullify the Tennessee Valley Authority’s decision to remove floating homes from its reservoirs.
Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis introduced the legislation last week in an attempt to protect 400 floating home owners on North Carolina’s Fontana Lake. A companion bill was introduced in the House soon after.
Aross TVA’s 7-state region, about 1,830 floating houses and nonnavigable houseboats are on TVA lakes and only about half of those have TVA nonnavigable houseboat permits. TVA regulations have prohibited nonnavigable houseboats since 1978, but TVA has generally not enforced that ban.
The TVA board of directors voted in May to prohibit new floating homes on all of its 49 reservoirs in seven Southeastern states. TVA agreed to allow existing floating homes to remain for up to 30 years, unless the structures are moved or sold.
The proposal by Burr and Tillis was filed as an amendment to the Water Resources Development Act of 2016, which clears a path for TVA to enforce the removal of all of the structures within 30 years. The act also requires all floating houses to get new TVA permits and meet its structural, electrical and other standards. The amendment basically says the “floating cabins” would be allowed as long as all fees are kept current.
Boone Lake property owners have tried to connect with Tennessee U.S. Sens. Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander, but there has been little to no response, said Karen Jenkins, who owns a home floating on the area lake.
“Although both Alexander and Corker have received
hundreds of calls from floating home owners here in Tennessee, to my knowledge they’ve sat on their laurels and done nothing,” Jenkins said. “This issue is not dead.”
In a statement Monday, U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., voiced support for the intent of the congressional amendment, but he said TVA’s board should make its own judgement on the matter.
“The amendment [from Burr and Tullis] guarantees that existing owners can keep their floating homes if they meet TVA’s health, safety, and environmental standards,” Alexander said. “Going forward, it makes clear that the TVA board has the authority to decide whether to allow new floating homes. We have an independent TVA board for a reason, which is to make decisions such as this and to manage the lakes, rivers, and reservoirs for all the people in the TVA region.”
Corker spokeswoman Micah Johnson said Monday that Corker’s staff “has attended multiple community meetings and spoken with individuals on both sides” of the controversy.
“Sen. Corker will carefully review the amendement should it be included in leg-siation that comes before the Senate for a vote,” Johnson said.
TVA officials have said many of the floating homes are moored illegally, creating navigation and safety risks and degraded water quality. TVA also is imposing new regulations and fees, including a 50-cents-per-squarefoot annual fee, in addition to mooring fees, pump fees and property taxes.
TVA spokesman Jim Hopson said as a federal agency “we don’t have an opinion for or against the legislation” and TVA will comply with whatever changes Congress may adopt.
“Obviously, this was a difficult decision for our board of directors. TVA is concerned public waters are being privatized, and that there are environmental concerns.”
Hopson said the agency is committed to ongoing dialogue with floating home owners and others about the changes.
“There are houses valued from $2,000 to $200,000,” said Knoxville-based Tennessee Valley Floating Home Alliance President Mike Wilkes. “There have been investments made in good conscience, and people had long-term plans for those investments. Their [TVA] contention is this is private use of public waters. I don’t know what their motivation is.”
About 98 percent of the properties on TVA lakes and reservoirs are moored at marinas that have lease agreements with the agency. There currently are 113 houseboats moored at Boone Lake, 117 at South Holston Lake and 37 at Watauga Lake, according to the TVA.
The Tennessee General Assembly passed resolutions earlier this year supporting the owners and expressing their desire to keep the properties on TVA reservoirs. However, TVA is not bound by state law.
“Our group was formed in March, and we have supporters from all states,” Wilkes said. “At the time we formed, TVA wanted to set the grandfathered time at 20 years. They changed that to 30 in May. We continue to pick up support at the federal level, and TVA officials have been communicating with the group.”
TVA provides electricity for business customers and local power distributors serving 9 million people. It receives no taxpayer funding, deriving virtually all of its revenues from sales of electricity.
The agency provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation.
FIND OUT MORE
TVA has more information about its new floating houses policy at www.tva.gov/Environment/Shoreline-Construction/Floating-Houses
The Tennessee Valley Floating Home Alliance is opposed to TVA’s policy and is organizing opposition at www. tvfha.org.