Douglas Dam
| Douglas Dam | |
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Douglas Dam from downstream
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 Location of Douglas Dam in Tennessee
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| Official name | Douglas Dam |
| Location | Sevier County, Tennessee, United States |
| Coordinates | 35°57′40″N 83°32′20″W / 35.96111°N 83.53889°WCoordinates: 35°57′40″N 83°32′20″W / 35.96111°N 83.53889°W |
| Construction began | February 2, 1942 |
| Opening date | February 19, 1943 |
| Operator(s) | Tennessee Valley Authority |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Impounds | French Broad River |
| Height | 202 feet (62 m) |
| Length | 1,705 feet (520 m) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Douglas Lake |
| Total capacity | 1,461,000 acre·ft (1,802,000 dam3) |
| Catchment area | 4,541 sq mi (11,760 km2) |
| Power station | |
| Commission date | 1942–1954 |
| Turbines | 2 x 41 MW, 2 x 32 MW Francis-type |
| Installed capacity | 146 MW |
Douglas Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the French Broad River in Sevier County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The dam is operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), which built the dam in record time in the early 1940s to meet emergency energy demands at the height of World War II. Douglas Dam is a straight reinforced concrete gravity-type dam 1705 feet (520 m) long and 202 feet (62 m) high, impounding the 28,420-acre (11,500 ha) Douglas Lake. The dam was named for Douglas Bluff, a cliff overlooking the dam site prior to construction.
The French Broad River winds its way westward from the Appalachian Mountains, gaining considerable strength after absorbing the Pigeon River and Nolichucky River near Newport before eventually joining with the Holston River at Knoxville to form the Tennessee River. Douglas Dam is located 32 miles (51 km) above the mouth of the French Broad. The area is a geological border between the Foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains (which rise to the south) and the Appalachian Ridge-and-Valley range. The reservoir includes parts of Sevier, Jefferson, Hamblen, and Cocke counties.
Road access is available by Tennessee State Hwy 338 which crosses just downstream of the dam. Interstate 40 (Exit 407) passes a few miles to the north.
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