| Kentucky Lake | |
|---|---|
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  Kentucky Lake  Kentucky Lake  Kentucky Lake | |
| Location | Kentucky / Tennessee |
| Coordinates | 37°00′47″N 88°16′12″W / 37.013°N 88.270°W |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 160,309 acres (649 km2) |
| Max. depth | 75 ft (23 m) |
| Water volume | Maximum: 4,008,000 acre⋅ft (4.944 km3) |
| Surface elevation | 354 ft (108 m) [1] |
Kentucky Lake is a major navigable reservoir along the Tennessee River in Kentucky and Tennessee. It was created in 1944 by the Tennessee Valley Authority's impounding of the Tennessee River via Kentucky Dam for flood control and hydroelectric power.[2] The 160,309-acre (649 km2) lake is the largest artificial lake by surface area in the United States east of the Mississippi River, with 2,064 miles (3,322 km) of shoreline. Kentucky Lake has a flood storage capacity of 4,008,000 acre⋅ft (4.944 km3), more than 2.5 times the next largest lake in the TVA system.
It provides a source for hydro-electric power. Also, as one of the lakes alluded to by the name of Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area, it is a recreational destination of western Kentucky and Tennessee.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Kentucky Lake
- ^ Kleber, John E., ed. (1992). "Lakes". The Kentucky Encyclopedia. Associate editors: Thomas D. Clark, Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter. Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-1772-0.