44th Tenn-Tom Conference Set For August

The 44th annual Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Conference August 12-14 is a chance for participants to take on this year’s theme of “Move More. Connect More.”

While education sessions will highlight opportunities and needs on the system, collectively known as Marine Highway 65, a golf scramble, reception, silent auction and dinner are among the networking opportunities. The conference will take place at the Grand Hotel Golf Resort and Spa in Point Clear, Ala. It is hosted jointly by the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority and the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Council.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, this year’s chairman of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority, will address participants this year. Other well-known guests include Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who is the retired football coach from Auburn University, Chad Pregracke, founder of the nonprofit Living Lands and Waterways, site election consultant Mark Williams and comedian Rick Roberts, Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority Mitch Mays said.

The sessions will also include regional briefings from the Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard.

One issue at the top of mind is ensuring the continued reliability of both the inland waterways and the infrastructure along the Tennessee, Tenn-Tom and Warrior-Tom rivers. Mays pointed to three major lock closures in the region in 2024, pointing to the need for major lock replacements and rehabilitations.

One of the authority’s major goals for the year is a request for a reliability report to be completed on Marine Highway 65. This request could be formalized in the 2026 Water Resources Development Act, Mays said. The states of Alabama and Mississippi have each passed joint resolutions supporting the request, he said.“I think everybody realizes how important it is in light of the lock failures,” Mays said of the report.

Maintaining the waterways is not only important for commerce but for national security, he added, noting that United Launch Alliance moves rocket stages for NASA along the river system and that advanced manufacturing company Hadrian is leasing a $2.4 billion facility near Cherokee, Ala., to build submarine components that will move by barge.

He added that a reliability report would help Congress and stakeholders prioritize the system’s needs.

“A consistent message going forward in talking to our elected officials is what keeps the attention at the forefront on the waterways,” Mays said.

In the long-term, Mays said, new locks need to be constructed. He noted that the locks at Demopolis and Coffeeville, both in Alabama, are approaching 75 years old. Given the time it has taken to construct lock projects, even if construction were to start soon, they could easily be 100 years old or more before they are replaced, he said.

Mays said it is also important for the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Authority to work in concert with other waterway associations. Currently, Mays is on the executive committee of the National Waterways Conference as well as on the Inland Rivers, Ports and Terminals board of directors.

“The biggest thing about coming to the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Association Conference is you’re going to have some fantastic networking opportunities,” Mays said. “You’ll be getting to visit with people in the same industry or that have the same concerns you do.”

For more information or to register for the conference, including the August 12 golf scramble at Lakewood Golf Club, visit conference.tenntom.org. Early bird pricing runs through July 11.