Navigation Aid Problem Report

TVA and the United States Coast Guard work together to keep buoys, daymarks and other Tennessee River system navigation aids accurate and in excellent condition. Navigation aids on the commercial navigation channel are maintained by the Coast Guard, while those on the secondary channels and tributary reservoirs are maintained by TVA.

If you see a navigation aid that is damaged, out of place, missing, or not operating properly, please make a selection below and complete the form to notify us.

Main River Navigation Aids Maintained By U.S. Coast Guard

nun buoy

Red Nun Buoy

can buoy

Green (or black)
Can Buoy

Red Commercial
Channel Passing Daymark/Daybeacon

Green Daymark

Green Commercial Channel Passing
Daymark/Daybeacon

red over green junction

Red Over Green Junction Buoy

green over red junction

Green Over Red Junction Buoy

red light

Red Light

green light

Green Light

unilateral red daymark

Red Commercial Channel Unilateral
Daymark/Daybeacon

unilateral green daymark

Green Commercial Channel Unilateral
Daymark/Daybeacon

To report problems with the navigation aids above, click here.

Secondary Channel and Tributary Reservoir Navigation Aids Maintained By TVA

secondary stream red buoy

Secondary Stream
Red Buoy

secondary stream green buoy

Secondary Stream
Green Buoy

red finger marker

Secondary Stream
Red Fingerboard

green finger marker

Secondary Stream
Green Fingerboard

keep out/hazard buoy

Keep Out/Hazard Buoy

danger buoy

Danger Buoy

information buoy

Information Buoy

control buoy

Control Buoy

creek fingerboard

Creek Fingerboard

depth gauge

Elevation Gauge

secondary channel daybeacon

Secondary Stream Daybeacon

mile marker daymark

Daymark With Mile Marker

To report a TVA maintained navigation aid, please use this online form.

A Guide to Navigation Aides on the Tennessee River System

There are many different traffic signs along the Tennessee River waterway to help boaters navigate safely. These vary depending on whether they are located along commercial navigation or secondary channels of the Tennessee River or on tributary (storage) reservoirs. Here's a guide to navigation aids—such as buoys, lights, daymarks and fingerboards—on the commercial and secondary channels, as well as on the tributary reservoirs.

Caution!

Collisions by boats, wave action, vandalism, and other factors make maintenance of navigation aids a continuous task for TVA and the U.S. Coast Guard. For this reason, boaters should not rely on any single aid to navigation for determining their position, particularly buoys.