Chickamauga Dam
| Chickamauga Dam | |
|---|---|
Chickamauga Dam
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| Official name | Chickamauga Dam |
| Location | Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States |
| Coordinates | 35°06′14″N 85°13′46″W / 35.10389°N 85.22944°WCoordinates: 35°06′14″N 85°13′46″W / 35.10389°N 85.22944°W |
| Construction began | January 13, 1936 |
| Opening date | January 15, 1940 |
| Operator(s) | Tennessee Valley Authority |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Impounds | Tennessee River |
| Height | 129 ft (39 m) |
| Length | 5,800 ft (1,800 m) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Chickamauga Lake |
| Total capacity | 737,300 acre·ft (909,400 dam3) |
| Catchment area | 20,790 sq mi (53,800 km2) |
Chickamauga Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. The dam is owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the late 1930s as part of a New Deal era initiative to improve navigation and bring flood control and economic development to the Tennessee Valley. The dam impounds the 36,240-acre (14,670 ha) Chickamauga Lake and feeds into Nickajack Lake.
Chickamauga Dam is named for the Chickamaugas, a politically detached branch of the Cherokee whose chief village was located just north of the dam site during the 18th century. The tribe's name has also been applied to several streams in the Chattanooga area, as well as an important American Civil War battle and a sandbar that existed at the dam site prior to its construction.
Chickamauga Dam is located 471 miles (758 km) upstream from the mouth of the Tennessee River, just east of downtown Chattanooga at the river's confluence with North Chickamauga Creek. The reservoir stretches for 59 miles (95 km) from Chickamauga Dam to the base of Watts Bar Dam, and includes parts of Hamilton, Bradley, McMinn, Polk, Rhea, and Meigs counties. The reservoir's notable embayments include Harrison Bay at its confluence with Wolftever Creek approximately 10 miles (16 km) upstream from the dam and the Soddy Creek embayment at 20 miles (32 km) upstream. Along with its main Tennessee River channel, the reservoir is navigable across the lower 18 miles (29 km) of the Hiwassee River, which joins the Tennessee River 30 miles (48 km) above the dam.
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