# Cherokee Dam > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Cherokee_Dam > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Cherokee_Dam.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee_Dam > Source revision: 1298993807 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Use American English|date=July 2025}} {{Infobox dam | name = Cherokee Dam | image = Cherokeedam-tn-2018.jpg | image_caption = Cherokee Dam | name_official = Cherokee Dam | dam_crosses = [Holston River](/source/Holston_River) | res_name = [Cherokee Lake](/source/Cherokee_Lake) | res_surface = {{convert|28780|acre|ha|abbr=on}} | res_elevation = {{convert|319|m|abbr=on|order=flip}}{{gnis|1280322}} | country = [United States](/source/United_States) | location = [Jefferson](/source/Jefferson_County%2C_Tennessee) and [Grainger](/source/Grainger_County%2C_Tennessee) counties, [Tennessee](/source/Tennessee) | operator = [Tennessee Valley Authority](/source/Tennessee_Valley_Authority) | purpose = [Flood control](/source/Flood_control), [electricity](/source/electricity) | dam_length = {{convert|6760|ft|m}} | dam_height = {{convert|175|ft|m}} | dam_width_base = | construction_began = August 1, 1940 | cost = US$30.3 million ({{Inflation|US|30,300,020.11|1944|fmt=eq}}) | opening = December 5, 1941 | location_map = Tennessee | location_map_size = | location_map_caption = | location_map_alt = | coordinates = {{coord|36|9|58|N|83|29|54|W|display=inline,title}} | plant_operator = | plant_commission = 1942-1953 | plant_decommission = | plant_type = [hydroelectric](/source/Hydroelectricity) | plant_turbines = 2 x 35 MW, 2 x 33 [MW](/source/watt) [Francis-type](/source/Francis-type) | plant_hydraulic_head = | plant_capacity = 136 MW{{cite web | url=http://www.industcards.com/hydro-usa-tn.htm | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103095653/http://www.industcards.com/hydro-usa-tn.htm | url-status=usurped | archive-date=January 3, 2013 | title=Hydroelectric Plants in Tennessee | publisher=IndustCards | accessdate=13 May 2014}} | plant_annual_gen = }} '''Cherokee Dam''' is a [hydroelectric dam](/source/hydroelectric_dam) located on the [Holston River](/source/Holston_River) in [Grainger County](/source/Grainger_County%2C_Tennessee) and [Jefferson County, Tennessee](/source/Jefferson_County%2C_Tennessee), in the southeastern United States. The dam is operated and maintained by the [Tennessee Valley Authority](/source/Tennessee_Valley_Authority), which built the dam in the early 1940s to help meet urgent demands for energy at the outbreak of [World War II](/source/World_War_II).Tennessee Valley Authority, ''The Cherokee Project: A Comprehensive Report on the Planning, Design, Construction, and Initial Operations of the Cherokee Project'', Technical Report no. 7 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1946), pp. 1-19, 32, 237. Cherokee Dam is {{convert|175|ft|m}} high and impounds the {{convert|28780|acre|ha|adj=on}} [Cherokee Lake](/source/Cherokee_Lake). It has a generating capacity of 136 [megawatts](/source/megawatts). The dam was named for the [Cherokee](/source/Cherokee), a [Native American](/source/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States) tribe that controlled much of East Tennessee when the first European settlers arrived in the mid-18th century.Tennessee Valley Authority, [http://www.tva.gov/sites/cherokee.htm Cherokee Lake]. Retrieved: 7 January 2009. It was listed on the [National Register of Historic Places](/source/National_Register_of_Historic_Places) in August 2017.{{Citation |title=Supplementary Listing Record: Cherokee Hydroelectric Project |date=2017-08-11 |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/100001468 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240710033711/https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/100001468 |archive-date=2024-07-10 |url-status=live |publisher=United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service |id=NRIS Reference Number: 100001468}} ==Location== The [South Fork](/source/South_Fork_Holston_River) and [North Fork](/source/North_Fork_Holston_River) of the Holston River merge to form the Holston River proper in [Kingsport, Tennessee](/source/Kingsport%2C_Tennessee), from which the river proceeds southwestward for just over {{convert|140|mi|km}} across northeastern Tennessee before joining with the [French Broad River](/source/French_Broad_River) in [Knoxville](/source/Knoxville%2C_Tennessee) to form the [Tennessee River](/source/Tennessee_River). Cherokee Dam is located approximately {{convert|52|mi|km}} upstream from the Holston's mouth. The dam was built immediately downstream from a point where Mossy Creek, which flows northeastward from [Jefferson City](/source/Jefferson_City%2C_Tennessee), joins the Holston to create a T-shaped formation. The dam's immediate headwaters and tailwaters still resemble this formation. Cherokee Lake stretches for {{convert|59|mi|km}} from the dam to the [John Sevier Combined Cycle Plant](/source/List_of_power_stations_operated_by_the_Tennessee_Valley_Authority) just south of [Rogersville, Tennessee](/source/Rogersville%2C_Tennessee), and includes parts of Jefferson, Grainger, Hamblen, and [Hawkins](/source/Hawkins_County%2C_Tennessee) counties. The lake's Mossy Creek embayment reaches all the way to the city limits of Jefferson City. [Tennessee State Route 92](/source/Tennessee_State_Route_92) crosses the Holston just downstream from the dam. ==Background and construction== right|250px|thumb|Design plan for Cherokee Dam, circa 1940 In 1940, with World War II raging across Europe, the United States government saw an urgent need to strengthen its military and defense infrastructure. This required a massive expansion of [aluminum](/source/aluminum) production facilities, many of which were located in the Tennessee Valley. To provide the necessary electricity, the Tennessee Valley Authority submitted a proposal for the construction of a new dam on the Holston River (the site— known as the "Mossy Creek site"— had already been selected and preliminary plans had been drawn up), the construction of a new coal plant (Watts Bar Fossil Plant, which operated 1942-1982) and for the expansion of the generating capacity of the existing [Wilson](/source/Wilson_Dam) and [Pickwick Landing](/source/Pickwick_Landing_Dam) dams to Congress in July 1940 (the measure was later expanded to include construction of [Douglas Dam](/source/Douglas_Dam), [Fontana Dam](/source/Fontana_Dam), and several dams along the [Hiwassee](/source/Hiwassee_River) and [Ocoee](/source/Ocoee_River) rivers). Congress approved funds for the measure within a few days and President [Franklin D. Roosevelt](/source/Franklin_D._Roosevelt) signed the measure into law on July 1, 1940. Construction on Cherokee Dam began the following day. The Cherokee project required the purchase of {{convert|45158|acre|ha}} of land, nearly {{convert|6000|acre|ha}} of which were wooded and required clearing. The project also required the relocation of 875 families, 51 cemeteries, and a historical tavern at [Bean Station](/source/Bean_Station%2C_Tennessee) (which was the only major community that was flooded). The water supplies of Jefferson City and [Morristown](/source/Morristown%2C_Tennessee) had to be modified, and {{convert|99|mi|km}} of roadway had to be redirected. Fourteen new bridges were constructed and five existing bridges were raised above reservoir operating levels. Three earthen saddle dams, with a combined length of {{convert|1770|ft|m}}, were constructed to fill gaps in the ridge immediately south of the main dam. As Congress eliminated a number bureaucratic obstacles regarding delivery of materials, construction proceeded at a smooth and rapid pace. On December 5, 1941, construction was completed, the gates were closed, and the reservoir began to fill. Power generation began on April 16, 1942, less than two years after the dam was first proposed. ==Operation and output== Cherokee Dam is a gravity-type concrete spillway dam consisting of nine crest gates and eight sluice gates (the latter allowing reservoir control when water level is low). The combined capacity of the dam's four hydroelectric generators is 135,200 kilowatts. Cherokee Lake has a flood-storage capacity of {{convert|749406|acre.ft}}. The reservoir operates up to an elevation of {{convert|1075|ft|m}}, and varies by {{convert|27|ft|m}} in a typical year. The dam lacks navigational locks, although its design allows them to be added if the necessity for them should arise. While Cherokee's primary purpose is hydroelectric power production, like other TVA dams it also helps control flooding, which was rampant in the Tennessee Valley before the 1930s. Numerous recreational areas exist along Cherokee Lake, including [Panther Creek State Park](/source/Panther_Creek_State_Park), several smaller parks, and 20 public boat launches. The [Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency](/source/Tennessee_Wildlife_Resources_Agency) regularly stocks the lake with [walleye](/source/walleye), [crappie](/source/crappie), and [hybrid striped bass](/source/hybrid_striped_bass) for recreational fishing.[http://www.tnfish.org/StockingFishTennessee_TWRA/TWRAreservoirLakeFishStockingTennessee.htm Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency — Reservoir Fish Stocking 2008]. Retrieved: 7 January 2009. As the arrival of [Hurricane Florence](/source/Hurricane_Florence) approached, the TVA released water at Cherokee from its spill gates. These spill gates were used for the first time since 1994.{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-17/florence-s-rains-are-kicking-hydroelectric-dams-into-overdrive|title=Florence's Rains Are Kicking Hydroelectric Dams Into Overdrive|last=Efstathiou Jr|first=Jim|publisher=Bloomberg|date=September 17, 2018|accessdate=September 17, 2018}} ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== {{stack|{{Portal|United States|Water|Renewable energy}}}} {{Commons category|Cherokee Dam}} *[http://www.tva.gov/sites/cherokee.htm Cherokee Reservoir] — official TVA site *[http://www.tnfish.org/CherokeeReservoir_TWRA/CherokeeLakeInformation_TWRA.htm Cherokee Lake] — Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Cherokee Lake information {{Tennessee Valley Authority Facilities}} Category:Holston River Category:Tennessee Valley Authority dams Category:Dams in Tennessee Category:Hydroelectric power plants in Tennessee Category:Buildings and structures in Grainger County, Tennessee Category:Buildings and structures in Jefferson County, Tennessee Category:Dams completed in 1941 Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 1941 --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cherokee Dam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee_Dam) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee_Dam?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.