The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Act of 1933 established the Tennessee Valley Authority to oversee the construction of dams to control flooding, improve navigation and create cheap electric power in the Tennessee Valley basin. It serves to improve the navigability and to provide for the flood control of the Tennessee River; to provide for the reforestation and proper use of marginal lands in the Tennessee Valley; to provide for the agricultural and industrial development of the Valley; and to provide for the national defense by creating a corporation to operate government properties at and near Muscle Shoals in Alabama.