OCR Text |
Show of boat docks or public parks is usually available within easy reach. Ownership and control of lands surrounding res- ervoirs.-Although the Tennessee Valley Authority does not acquire land for recreation, provision is made for suitable public access to lands acquired for reservoir purposes. A land use plan, including recreation, is drawn up for each reservoir area. In acquiring reservoir properties varying amounts of land on reservoir margins well-suited to many types of recreation use, have been purchased. At Norris Reservoir, the first major project, TVA purchased the entire shoreline below the maximum normal elevation. The shoreline was bought in a strip the width of which varied according to sev- erance costs, and savings resulting from purchasing property rather than replacing roads and other pub- lic services. As additional projects were author- ized, TVA acquired less and less land for secondary program purposes. In the most recently author- ized projects, Boone and Fort Patrick Henry, it is expected that only small quantities of land above maximum normal flood contour elevation will be bought. TVA policies do not envision permanent re- tention of reservoir land above the flowage line for recreation purposes. They are based on the as- sumption that State and local agencies with author- ity to manage land for public recreation purposes can and should assume full responsibility for im- provement and administration of reservoir lands suitable for public recreation, and that private and commercial recreation interests will acquire, de- velop, and manage lands suitable for private and commercial recreation. Lands have been disposed of in such manner as to protect flood control and navigation interests, and power production. Lands allocated for recreation fall into the follow- ing categories: public parks-Federal, State, and local; quasi-public-Boy and Girl Scout group camps; incidental public access points at highway crossings, roadway approaches; commercial; private summer residences. Disposition for these several recreation uses occurs in accordance with the re- gion's interest and need for land and land use brought about by the over-all recreation interests in the region, and increased industries and population. In some instances it may be necessary to retain Fed- eral ownership of lands presently allocated for rec- reation use; however, the rate of disposition of lands in all categories has been rapid since 1946. In the case of public park lands, TVA has leased a number of? areas and has transferred several areas to State agencies and one to a local agency. Other transfers of both State and local park areas are in process or are contemplated under the present pro- gram. Public agencies in general can more readily justify expenditures of their own public funds on land that they own rather than on lands leased to them. Lands committed through lease to com- mercial use can be disposed of in fee once the character of operation is established. TVA is now in the process of negotiating sale of a number of boat dock sites to lessees. Other boat dock sites will be sold. Club sites are usually sold. Quasi-public group camp sites are usually leased, in order to permit quasi-public groups to obtain the use of land without a considerable cash outlay for a site. It is anticipated that most or all of them eventually will be sold. TVA has both leased and sold several hundred lake-front sites in subdivisions for summer resi- dences. It is now contemplated that in the future all such sites will be sold and that those under lease where summer residences have been constructed will be disposed of through negotiated sale with the lessees if they desire to purchase. The TVA has decided not to continue in Federal fee ownership reservoir lands not needed for its primary program purposes, except for retention of sites until such time as the demand for them warrants disposal to permit their use for the purposes for which they are most suited. However, the TVA as yet has little experi- ence as to the character of the improvements or facilities which may be made by private interests. Fear has been expressed by some that future public access to water frontage may prove inadequate and that private development without restrictions may result in "Coney Island" developments. Success of cooperative developments created at Federal expense and turned over to States for operation.-Five demonstration parks were built on TVA lakes through cooperation among the Na- tional Park Service, Civilian Conservation Corps, and TVA. Two of these parks, Big Ridge Park on Norris Reservoir, and Wheeler Park at the Wheeler Dam reservation, are now State-operated parks. Big Ridge has been transferred to Tennessee and Joe Wheeler State Park land has been leased to Alabama. Two other parks, Norris at Norris Dam, and Pickwick at Pickwick Dam, have been leased for commercial resort purposes. A portion of the Pick- wick demonstration area has been leased for quasi- public group camp use. Wilson Park is maintained by TVA as a recreation facility for visitors to Wil- 784 |