Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway

Map of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway

The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway (popularly known as the 'Tenn-Tom') is a 234 mile (377 km) artificial waterway that provides a connecting link between the Tennessee and Tombigbee rivers. The waterway begins at Pickwick Lake on the Tennessee River, then flows southward through northeast Mississippi and west Alabama, finally connecting with the established Warrior-Tombigbee navigation system at Demopolis, Alabama.

After 12 years of construction, the waterway and its seventeen public ports and terminals opened to commercial traffic in January 1985. In addition to the original 110,000 acres (445 km²) of land acquired for the construction and operation of the project, another 88,000 acres (356 km²) have been purchased and managed by the two state conservation agencies for wildlife habitat preservation and mixed use including hunting and parks.

The elevation change between the two ends of the waterway is 341 feet (104 m).

Divide cut

Divide cut seen from the Holcut Memorial site.

The divide cut is a 29 mile (47 km) artificial canal that makes the connection to the Tennessee River. It connects Pickwick Lake on the Tennessee to Bay Springs Lake at Mississippi State Highway 30.

Locks

Amory Lock

The waterway is composed of ten locks:
* Jamie Whitten Lock and Dam (named for Jamie L. Whitten); formerly named Bay Springs Lock and Dam - impounds Bay Springs Lake
* G. V. Montgomery Lock (named for Sonny Montgomery); formerly named Lock E
* John Rankin Lock (named for John E. Rankin); formerly named Lock D
* Fulton Lock (Fulton, Mississippi); formerly named Lock C
* Glover Wilkins Lock (located in Smithville, Mississippi; named for Glover Wilkins); formerly named Lock B
* Amory Lock (Amory, Mississippi); formerly named Lock A
* Aberdeen Lock and Dam (Aberdeen, Mississippi) - impounds Aberdeen Lake
* John C. Stennis Lock and Dam (named for John C. Stennis); formerly named Columbus Lock and Dam - impounds Columbus Lake
* Tom Bevill Lock and Dam (named for Tom Bevill); formerly named Aliceville Lock and Dam - impounds Aliceville Lake
* Howell Heflin Lock and Dam (named for Howell Heflin); formerly named Gainesville Lock and Dam - impounds Gainesville Lake

External links

* U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
* Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority