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miles upriver) for a dam in 1930. In 1936, the
Tennessee Valley Authority assumed direction of the site as part of its unified strategy to build (and acquire) a series of dams along the Tennessee River to improve navigation and flood control, and aide in the region's economic development. TVA was given authorization to build a dam at Watt Island on March 16, 1939, and construction on Watts Bar Dam began on July 1, 1939.
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built a dike at the tip of the island to improve flow in the main river channel. The Corps carried out dredging work at the island between 1911 and 1913 that deepened the main channel, and recommended the site (originally known as the "White Creek site" after a stream that joins the
Tennessee a few
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in 1941, energy demand in the region skyrocketed, and the design was modified to include a fourth and fifth generator. The dam was completed and the gates closed on
January 1, 1942. The first generator went online February 11 of that year, followed by the second generator on April 6 and the third
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The construction of Watts Bar Dam and its accompanying reservoir required the purchase of 54,600 acres (22,100 ha) of land and flowage rights, 7,304 acres (2,956 ha) of which were forested and had to be cleared. 832 families, 17 cemeteries, and 121 miles (195 km) of roads were
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Watts Bar provides 722 miles (1,162 km) of shoreline and over 39,090 acres (15,820 ha) of water surface. Watts Bar Dam is 112 feet (34 m) high and stretches 2,960 feet (900 m) across the
Tennessee River. Watts Bar has a storage capacity of 1,175,000 acre⋅ft
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Earl M. Qualls, car dumper operator at Watts Bar, in June 1942. This image was distributed by the Office of War information to demonstrate the importance of the dam's electricity as well as the contribution of
African-Americans to the war
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on July 23. The fourth generator went online March 12, 1944 and the fifth followed on April 24, 1944. The Army Corps of
Engineers designed the dam's lock, which went into operation on February 16, 1942.
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relocated. An earthen dike was built to protect downtown
Kingston from the reservoir's backwaters, and minor adjustments were necessary to the riverfronts of Spring City, Harriman,
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is 360 by 60 feet (110 m × 18 m), and raises and lowers vessels 70 feet (21 m) from Watts Bar Lake to
Chickamauga Lake and vice versa.
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Watts Bar Dam is located approximately 530 miles (850 km) upstream from the mouth of the
Tennessee River, roughly halfway between
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counties. In addition to its main
Tennessee River channel, Watts Bar Lake is navigable across the lower 23 miles (37 km) of the
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The Watts Bar Project: A Comprehensive Report on the Planning, Design, Construction, and Initial Operations of the Watts Bar Project
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407:(1,449,000 dam), a flood-storage capacity of 379,000 acre⋅ft (467,000 dam), and generates 175
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The dam's original design called for the installation of three generators, but with the outbreak of
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285:, United States. The dam is one of nine dams on the main Tennessee River channel operated by the
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637:, Technical Report No. 9 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1949), 1-11, 39-47.
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Watt Island's potential as a dam site had been recognized since the early 1870s, when the
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Watts Bar Lake was one of the water bodies affected by a massive release of
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and Chattanooga. Just north of the dam, the Tennessee absorbs the
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National Performance of Dams Program, National Inventory of Dams
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extends 72.4 miles (116.5 km) northeast from the dam to
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located at the dam site prior to the dam's construction.
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Workers test a turbine shaft at Watts Bar, June 1942
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Buildings and structures in Meigs County, Tennessee
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1296:Buildings and structures in Rhea County, Tennessee
340:crosses Watts Bar Dam, connecting the area with
486:Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill
431:TVA's design plan for Watts Bar Dam, circa 1939
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379:) and the lower 12 miles (19 km) of the
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328:to the west. The nearest towns of note are
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546:Dams and reservoirs of the Tennessee River
403:all have waterfronts on Watts Bar Lake.
304:Watts Bar Dam is named for Watt Island, a
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551:List of crossings of the Tennessee River
1311:Energy infrastructure completed in 1944
1306:Energy infrastructure completed in 1942
1281:Hydroelectric power plants in Tennessee
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217:17,310 sq mi (44,800 km)
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59:Location of Watts Bar Dam in Tennessee
363:, and includes parts of Meigs, Rhea,
293:— which it impounds— and
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7:
556:Watts Bar Nuclear Generating Station
606:"Hydroelectric Plants in Tennessee"
332:(a few miles to the northwest) and
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1321:1942 establishments in Tennessee
1276:Bridges over the Tennessee River
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456:, and Loudon. The community of
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1286:Tennessee Valley Authority dams
16:Dam in Tennessee, United States
653:. Retrieved: 10 January 2009.
1:
336:(a few miles to the south).
649:Tennessee Valley Authority,
633:Tennessee Valley Authority,
437:U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
324:, which flows down from the
1266:Dams on the Tennessee River
423:Background and construction
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804:Tennessee Valley Authority
707:Tennessee Valley Authority
287:Tennessee Valley Authority
180:2,960 ft (900 m)
148:Tennessee Valley Authority
1316:Road bridges in Tennessee
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112:35.6213028°N 84.7815972°W
38:
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338:Tennessee State Route 68
1066:Coal-fired power plants
536:Renewable energy portal
252:Installed capacity
172:112 ft (34 m)
128:Construction began
117:35.6213028; -84.7815972
1301:Dams completed in 1942
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84:Rhea County, Tennessee
587:. Stanford University
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1227:Nuclear power plants
703:Tennessee River Dams
508:United States portal
227:Commission date
207:(1,449,000 dam)
818:generating stations
651:Watts Bar Reservoir
213:Catchment area
200:Total capacity
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1144:Gas turbine plants
906:Fort Patrick Henry
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326:Cumberland Plateau
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931:Little Bear Creek
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484:in 2008 from the
417:navigational lock
383:. The cities of
267:hydroelectric dam
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154:Dam and spillways
136:Opening date
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1031:Upper Bear Creek
1001:Raccoon Mountain
986:Pickwick Landing
802:operated by the
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203:1,175,000
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139:January 1, 1942
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103:84°46′53.75″W
100:35°37′16.69″N
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71:Watts Bar Dam
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68:Official name
66:
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33:Watts Bar Dam
30:
25:
22:Watts Bar Dam
20:
1235:Browns Ferry
1197:Lagoon Creek
1187:Johnsonville
1129:Widows Creek
1104:Johnsonville
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916:Guntersville
901:Fort Loudoun
836:Beaver Creek
738:Guntersville
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718:Fort Loudoun
634:
610:. Retrieved
600:
589:. Retrieved
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522:Water portal
479:
474:World War II
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458:Rhea Springs
450:
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405:
373:Clinch River
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281:counties in
262:
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131:July 1, 1939
80:Meigs County
1182:John Sevier
1157:Brownsville
1099:John Sevier
941:Melton Hill
911:Great Falls
881:Clear Creek
876:Chickamauga
861:Cedar Creek
728:Chickamauga
413:electricity
401:Lenoir City
381:Emory River
330:Spring City
322:Piney River
299:Chattanooga
245:Kaplan-type
144:Operator(s)
115: /
91:Coordinates
1260:Categories
1089:Cumberland
951:Nolichucky
936:Lost Creek
846:Blue Ridge
831:Bear Creek
800:Facilities
591:2012-10-10
562:References
1245:Watts Bar
1217:Southaven
1162:Caledonia
1124:Watts Bar
1041:Watts Bar
1026:Tims Ford
946:Nickajack
826:Apalachia
733:Nickajack
723:Watts Bar
409:megawatts
318:Knoxville
283:Tennessee
230:1941-1944
185:Reservoir
1240:Sequoyah
1212:Paradise
1207:Marshall
1202:Magnolia
1172:Gallatin
1114:Paradise
1109:Kingston
1094:Gallatin
1079:Bull Run
1016:Sycamore
956:Normandy
926:Kentucky
921:Hiwassee
871:Cherokee
758:Kentucky
492:See also
397:Rockwood
389:Harriman
385:Kingston
352:Capacity
312:Location
236:Turbines
159:Impounds
76:Location
1177:Gleason
1167:Colbert
1119:Shawnee
1084:Colbert
1046:Wheeler
1036:Watauga
1021:Tellico
991:Pin Oak
981:Ocoee 3
976:Ocoee 2
971:Ocoee 1
966:Nottely
896:Fontana
891:Douglas
886:Dogwood
866:Chatuge
743:Wheeler
482:fly ash
468:effort.
375:(up to
334:Decatur
306:sandbar
269:on the
240:5 x 38
205:acre⋅ft
190:Creates
1192:Kemper
1134:Wilson
1056:Wilson
1051:Wilbur
1006:Redbud
961:Norris
748:Wilson
612:13 May
399:, and
393:Loudon
369:Loudon
367:, and
256:190 MW
177:Length
169:Height
1152:Allen
1074:Allen
856:Cedar
851:Boone
841:Beech
454:Wheat
365:Roane
275:Meigs
265:is a
996:Pine
814:and
812:Dams
614:2014
279:Rhea
277:and
82:and
411:of
273:in
1262::
642:^
622:^
583:.
570:^
488:.
395:,
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301:.
242:MW
792:e
785:t
778:v
695:e
688:t
681:v
616:.
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
