Hiwassee Dam
| Hiwassee Dam | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Official name | Hiwassee Dam |
| Location | Cherokee County, North Carolina, United States |
| Coordinates | 35°9′5″N 84°10′39″W / 35.15139°N 84.17750°WCoordinates: 35°9′5″N 84°10′39″W / 35.15139°N 84.17750°W |
| Construction began | July 15, 1936 |
| Opening date | February 8, 1940 |
| Operator(s) | Tennessee Valley Authority |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Impounds | Hiwassee River |
| Height | 307 ft (94 m) |
| Length | 1,376 ft (419 m) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Hiwassee Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 434,000 acre·ft (535,000 dam3) |
| Catchment area | 968 sq mi (2,510 km2) |
| Power station | |
| Installed capacity | 185 MW |
Hiwassee Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Hiwassee River in Cherokee County, in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is one of three dams on the river owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the late 1930s to bring flood control and electricity to the region. The dam impounds the Hiwassee Lake of 6,000 acres (2,400 ha), and its tailwaters are part of Apalachia Lake. At 307 feet (94 m), Hiwassee Dam is the third highest dam in the TVA system, behind only Fontana and Watauga.
Hiwassee Dam is named after the Hiwassee River. The river's name is derived from the Cherokee word for savanna, or large meadow, and had been applied to two of the tribe's villages along the river in the 18th century.
The Hiwassee River flows northwestward from its source in Towns County, Georgia through Western North Carolina, where it proceeds to slice a scenic valley through the southern Appalachian Mountains en route to its mouth along Chickamauga Lake in Tennessee. Hiwassee Dam is located nearly 76 miles (122 km) above the river's mouth, at the downstream end of a large bend in the river known as Fowler Bend. The dam is 10 miles (16 km) upstream from Apalachia Dam (which is near the Tennessee-North Carolina state line) and 45 miles (72 km) downstream from Chatuge Dam. Hiwassee Dam and its reservoir are surrounded by the Nantahala National Forest.
Hiwassee Village, a small community that developed alongside the dam and reservoir, is located immediately south of Hiwassee Dam. North Carolina State Highway 1314 (Hiwassee Dam Access Road) crosses the top of the dam.
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