Great Falls Dam (Tennessee)

Great Falls Hydroelectric Station
Great Falls Dam
Great Falls Dam (Tennessee) is located in Tennessee
Great Falls Dam (Tennessee)
Great Falls Dam (Tennessee) is located in the United States
Great Falls Dam (Tennessee)
LocationWarren / White counties, Tennessee, United States
Nearest cityRock Island, Tennessee
Coordinates35°48′7″N 85°37′20″W / 35.80194°N 85.62222°W / 35.80194; -85.62222
Built1915–1916
NRHP reference No.90001004
Added to NRHP1990

Great Falls Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Caney Fork, straddling the county line between White County and Warren County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the only dam outside the Tennessee River watershed owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority. The dam impounds the 1,830-acre (740 ha) Great Falls Lake, and its tailwaters feed into Center Hill Lake.[1] The completion of Great Falls Dam in late 1916 was an engineering triumph, marking the first successful attempt to impound the volatile and flood-prone Caney Fork. The dam is also notable for its design, utilizing a mostly underground conduit to carry water from the reservoir via a tributary to the Power House 0.75 miles (1.21 km) downstream from the dam.[2][3]

Great Falls Dam is named for the rapids and waterfalls on the Caney Fork downstream from the dam. The section of river below the powerhouse is world-renowned for whitewater kayaking. The dam and its tailwaters are surrounded by Rock Island State Park.[1]

  1. ^ a b Tennessee Valley Authority, Great Falls Reservoir Archived May 17, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved: January 29, 2009.
  2. ^ Tennessee Valley Authority, Design of TVA Projects Volume 3: Mechanical Design of Hydro Plants, Technical Report No. 24 (Washington, D.C.: Tennessee Valley Authority, 1952), pp. 301-302.
  3. ^ Distance measured from Campaign Quadrangle - Tennessee (Map). 1 : 24,000. 7,5 Minute Series (Topographic). United States Geological Survey. 1981. ISBN 978-0-607-49059-6. and Doyle Quadrangle - Tennessee (Map). 1 : 24,000. 7,5 Minute Series (Topographic). United States Geological Survey. 1981. ISBN 978-0-607-49147-0.