Barkley Dam

Barkley Dam
CountryUnited States of America
LocationKentucky
Coordinates37°01′14″N 88°13′25″W / 37.0206°N 88.2235°W / 37.0206; -88.2235
Opening date1966
Dam and spillways
ImpoundsCumberland River
Height (thalweg)157 ft (48 m)
Reservoir
CreatesLake Barkley
Lake Barkley Lock and Dam, impounding Lake Barkley

Barkley Dam is a dam along the Cumberland River in Kentucky. Its construction along with Kentucky Dam formed the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area (LBLNRA) by stopping the flow of the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers, forming Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake respectively. It is operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

Barkley Dam is 157 feet (48 m) high and impounds a maximum of 2,082,000 acre-feet (2.6 cubic kilometers).[1] Completed in 1966, the dam and artificial lake were both named for U.S. Vice President Alben Barkley.

Electricity from the dam is marketed by the Southeastern Power Administration.[2]

  1. ^ "Barkley Dam (Lake Barkley)". Lakes Online. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  2. ^ "Generation – Southeastern Power Administration". Energy.gov. Retrieved 2023-03-20.