Environmental Assessment - Tennessee Valley Authority

A brief description of species potentially occurring near the project can be found below.
Biology and habitat requirements are described in Etnier and Starnes (1993) and
NatureServe (2011) for fish and in Parmalee and Bogan (1998) for mussels.
Flame Chub: An inhabitant of springs and spring runs, the flame chub, usually occurs in
areas of lush aquatic vegetation. It occurs in the Tennessee River drainage from the
Knoxville area downstream through the Mud Creek system south of Savannah (Hardin
County), Tennessee. The species also occurs in the upper Duck River and in the middle
Cumberland drainage, primarily in the upper Caney Fork system. Habitat for flame chub is
not expected to occur within impact areas of the proposed project in Watts Bar Reservoir;
therefore, this species is not considered further in this EA.
Snail Darter: This species occurs in deeper portions of rivers and reservoirs where current
is present. The snail darter spawns from February to mid-May through August. Larvae drift
downstream into deeper, lower-velocity areas. In late summer, the juveniles migrate
upstream to shoal areas where they spawn. Snail darter larvae and juveniles may occur
within the project impact area.
Tangerine Darter: The tangerine darter inhabits clearer portions of large to moderate-sized
headwater tributaries of the Tennessee River. It frequents deeper riffles and runs with
boulders, large rubble, and bedrock most of the year but moves into deeper pools in winter.
It is confined to the upper Tennessee River drainage and reaches maximum abundance in
smaller tributaries such as the Emory, Little Emory, Little Pigeon, Tellico, and Hiwassee
rivers. Habitat for tangerine darter is not expected to occur within impact areas of the
proposed project in Watts Bar Reservoir; therefore, this species is not considered further in
this assessment.
Orangefoot Pimpleback: This species inhabits medium to large rivers in moderate current
in sand, gravel, and/or cobble substrate often in deeper water. Historical records are
known to occur within a 10-mile radius of the proposed project area. The USFWS issued a
2007 Final Rule to reintroduce experimental populations in the lower French Broad and
lower Holston rivers. As recognized in the 2011 BA and BO associated with this project,
orangefoot pimpleback is believed to occur within the project impact area in very low
numbers. However, the USFWS BO concluded that, given the extremely rare occurrence
of orangefoot pimpleback and nature of potential indirect impacts from the proposed
project, the level of impacts to this species would not rise to the level of “take.” Therefore,
orangefoot pimpleback is not considered further in this EA.
Pink Mucket: Typically, a big river species, the pink mucket occasionally becomes
established in small to medium-sized tributaries of large rivers. It generally inhabits rocky to
sand/gravel substrates with swift current, usually in less than 3 feet of water; however, it
has been found living and reproducing in reservoir habitat containing adequate flow.
Suitable habitat occurs near the project, and it is believed to inhabit the project impact area
in low densities (CCR Environmental 2011; USFWS 2011).
Tennessee Clubshell: This species occurs in the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers’
drainages. The Tennessee clubshell prefers substrate of coarse gravel and sand in small,
shallow creeks and rivers with good current. Spawning likely takes place in spring, and
larvae are expelled during summer, with several fish species shown to serve as
reproductive hosts. The project impact area does not likely support appropriate habitat for
Tennessee clubshell; therefore, this species is not evaluated further in this assessment.
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