In the 1970s, the discovery of the Tennessee snail darter in the Tellico River was used to halt completion of the Tellico Dam under the Endangered Species Act (a tale many law students learn in TVA v.

Decades after the Tellico Dam battle, the fish formerly known as the snail darter is thriving. It left the endangered species list in 2020. “This is still a success story,” Mr. Simmons said.

The Tellico Dam was completed in 1979. It was the last dam to be built by the TVA. As for the snail darter, the conservation efforts worked.

In 1967, construction began on the Tellico Dam—the aim was to create a reservoir on the Little Tennessee River, approximately 20 miles southwest of Knoxville.

In a majority opinion written by Chief Justice Burger, the Court ruled that the Tellico Dam Project did violate the Endangered Species Act, and funding should stop. T-shirt clad law students rejoiced.

But the Tellico Dam, the last of 68 dams on the Tennessee River system, was primarily for recreation and the creation of a hypothetical city that was never built. After the Supreme Court halted the ...

“The little fish that could” ultimately prevailed. Yes, it lost a crushing battle over Tellico Dam. But it helped win the war by exposing environmental havoc, property rights abuse, plus the ...

The snail darter - a little three-inch fish that nearly swallowed TVA's Tellico Dam and became the poster child for the Endangered Species Act - has officially been saved from extinction and ...

Sep. 4—The snail darter — a little three-inch fish that nearly swallowed TVA's Tellico Dam and became the poster child for the Endangered Species Act — has officially been saved from ...

Nellie McCall is escorted from her home after TVA bought it through eminent domain to build the Tellico Dam. Author: WBIR Staff Published: 4:45 PM EST February 3, 2015 ...

The Tellico Dam was completed in 1979. It was the last dam to be built by the TVA. As for the snail darter, the conservation efforts worked.