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TVA looks at new "worst case" flooding scenario

NewsCentral Staff

The Tennessee Valley Authority is developing a worst-case flooding scenario that could require taller dams and more protection for nuclear reactors.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Valley Authority is developing a worst-case flooding scenario that could require taller dams and more protection for nuclear reactors.

According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, utility officials were meeting Monday with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Atlanta to discuss nuclear plant safety from flooding.

Floods have not overtopped TVA's dams on the Tennessee River and its tributaries, but severe flooding on the Cumberland River caused problems in 2010 at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dams above and below Nashville.

TVA began a series of temporary fixes three years ago.

The agency has since reassessed potential flooding and concluded a "probable maximum flood" will require building concrete walls and raising earth berms from 2.3 feet to 6.6 feet, depending on location.

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Information from: Chattanooga Times Free Press, http://www.timesfreepress.com
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