When representatives from the Tennessee Valley Authority noticed that the Clinch River below Norris Dam was eroding Hibbs Island, they knew action needed to be taken. Hibbs Island anchored a critical weir, a low dam stretching across a river to help control the required constant minimum water flow. They contacted Mesa Associates, Inc. to help draft plans and provide different rebuilding options. TVA decided on a plan that had the least impact on the island’s natural habitat while helping the river’s overall biodiversity.
The collaboration came to fruition in the spring of 2024. Hibbs Island opened with a new soil and limestone berm. The releases from Norris Dam were finally flowing over the left and right weirs, improving the river’s water quality and aquatic life.
For more information about the project, visit https://www.tva.com/newsroom/articles/the-water–the-weir-and-the-island.
To watch a local news story, visit WATE at https://www.wate.com/video/tva-completes-hibbs-island-project/9727001/.
About Mesa Associates, Inc.
Mesa is a woman/minority-owned full-service multi-discipline engineering, procurement, and construction management firm specializing in providing engineering services for the commercial, government, industrial, municipal, and electric utility industry. Mesa is currently providing over $188M of engineering services to 13 of the top 15 utilities across the United States. Our growth is a result of delivering quality projects and value to our clients with unparalleled customer service. We differentiate ourselves by saying we are Large Enough to Perform, Small Enough to Care.