Cherokee Reservoir
Encyclopedia
Cherokee Reservoir, also known as Cherokee Lake, is a reservoir
in Tennessee
formed by the impoundment of the Holston River
behind Cherokee Dam
.
The reservoir has a surface area of about 28780 acres (11,646.9 ha), a flood
-storage capacity of 749406 acre.ft, and nearly 400 miles (643.7 km) of shoreline. In a normal year, the lake water level fluctuates over a range of about 27 feet (8.2 m).
Cherokee Dam is a Tennessee Valley Authority
dam intended for hydroelectric generation and flood control. The dam was built on a crash schedule; construction started August 1, 1940, and was completed on December 5, 1941.
Public access areas, Panther Creek State Park
and other public parks, commercial boat dock
s and resorts, and a state wildlife management
area on the shores of the lake attract extensive recreational use.
In order to maintain dissolved oxygen concentrations in the river
below the dam at levels that will support aquatic life, perforated hoses suspended above the bottom of Cherokee Reservoir are used to inject oxygen
into the reservoir water and devices which resemble large underwater fans located just above the dam are used to push warm oxygenated water downward to the depths where water is released for hydroelectric generation.
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
formed by the impoundment of the Holston River
Holston River
The Holston River is a major river system of southwestern Virginia and east Tennessee. The three major forks of the Holston rise in southwestern Virginia and have their confluence near Kingsport, Tennessee. The North Fork flows southwest from Sharon Springs in Bland County, Virginia...
behind Cherokee Dam
Cherokee Dam
Cherokee Dam is a hydroelectric dam located on the Holston River in Grainger County and Jefferson County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The dam is operated and maintained by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the early 1940s to help meet urgent demands for...
.
The reservoir has a surface area of about 28780 acres (11,646.9 ha), a flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
-storage capacity of 749406 acre.ft, and nearly 400 miles (643.7 km) of shoreline. In a normal year, the lake water level fluctuates over a range of about 27 feet (8.2 m).
Cherokee Dam is a Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
dam intended for hydroelectric generation and flood control. The dam was built on a crash schedule; construction started August 1, 1940, and was completed on December 5, 1941.
Public access areas, Panther Creek State Park
Panther Creek State Park
Panther Creek State Park is a Tennessee state park northwest of Morristown, on the shore of Cherokee Reservoir, an impoundment of the Holston River.The park has an area of approximately .-External links:...
and other public parks, commercial boat dock
Dock (maritime)
A dock is a human-made structure or group of structures involved in the handling of boats or ships, usually on or close to a shore.However, the exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language...
s and resorts, and a state wildlife management
Wildlife management
Wildlife management attempts to balance the needs of wildlife with the needs of people using the best available science. Wildlife management can include game keeping, wildlife conservation and pest control...
area on the shores of the lake attract extensive recreational use.
In order to maintain dissolved oxygen concentrations in the river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
below the dam at levels that will support aquatic life, perforated hoses suspended above the bottom of Cherokee Reservoir are used to inject oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
into the reservoir water and devices which resemble large underwater fans located just above the dam are used to push warm oxygenated water downward to the depths where water is released for hydroelectric generation.