While TVA was constructing the Tellico Dam, it was discovered that a fish—the snail darter—would be adversely affected by the reservoir that would be created by the dam. The snail darter was on the Endangered Species list with its only known habitat being the Little Tennessee River. The plight of the snail darter pitted environmentalists against TVA and was played out in the courts, the press, and in the communities.

This article was printed in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is one of hundreds of articles written about this controversy.