J. Percy Priest Lake is a
reservoirA 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 north central
TennesseeTennessee 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...
. It is formed by
J. Percy Priest DamJ. Percy Priest Dam is a dam in north central Tennessee at mile 6.8 of the Stones River, a tributary of the Cumberland. It is located about ten miles east of downtown Nashville. The reservoir behind the dam is Percy Priest Lake....
, located between miles six and seven of the
Stones RiverThe Stones River is a major stream of the eastern portion of Tennessee's Nashville Basin region.-Geography and hydrography:The Stones River is composed of three major forks: the West, Middle, and East forks. The West Fork, long, rises in southernmost Rutherford County near the Bedford County...
. The
damA dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
(easily visible from
Interstate 40Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...
) is located about 10 miles (16 km) east of downtown
NashvilleNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
and impounds a lake 42 miles (68 km) long. The lake and dam are named for
CongressmanThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
Percy PriestJames Percy Priest was an American teacher, journalist and politician who represented Tennessee in the United States House of Representatives from 1941 until his death.- Background :Priest was born in Maury County, Tennessee...
.
The lake covers portions of
DavidsonDavidson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 626,681. Its county seat is Nashville.In 1963, the City of Nashville and the Davidson County government merged, so the county government is now known as the "Metropolitan Government of Nashville and...
,
RutherfordRutherford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, it is the state's fifth-largest county by population with 262,604 people, an increase of 44.3 percent over the 2000 population of 182,023. Its county seat is Murfreesboro, which is also the geographic...
, and
Wilson Counties and consists of 14,200 acres (57 km²) of water at summer pool elevation 490 feet (149 m) above mean sea level. The water is surrounded by 18,854 acres (76 km²) of public lands; 10,000 acres (40 km²) are devoted to
wildlifeWildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
management. The site of the former town of Old Jefferson was inundated by the reservoir; the community was demolished in the early 1960s for the building of the dam.
The Percy Priest dam project was first authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1946 under the name “Stewarts Ferry Reservoir.” An act of Congress approved July 2, 1958, changed the name to honor Congressman Priest. The
U.S. Army Corps of EngineersThe United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
project was completed in 1967.
The dam, powerhouse, lake, and public lands are operated and supervised by the
U.S. Army Corps of EngineersThe United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
' personnel under the direction of the District Engineer at Nashville. The Natural Resource Management Office maintains three campgrounds (Anderson Road, Seven Points, and Poole Knobs), eleven day-use/picnic areas (Anderson Road, Cook, Damsite, East Fork, Fate Sanders, Jefferson Springs, Nice's Mill, Overlook, Seven Points, Smith Springs, and Tailwater), and twelve boat launching ramps (Anderson Road, Cook, East Fork, Fall Creek, Fate Sanders, Hurricane Creek, Jefferson Springs, Lamar Hill, Mona, Nice's Mill, Poole Knobs, Seven Points, Smith Springs, Stewart's Creek, and Viverett Creek).
MarinaA marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
s at the lake include Elm Hill, Four Corners, Fate Sanders, Hamilton Creek, Percy Priest, and Nashville Shores. The lake is also home to a number of recreational organizations such as the
Vanderbilt Sailing ClubThe Vanderbilt University Sailing Club was founded in 1962 with an initial grant from Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, then the chairman of the University's Board of Trust...
, the Vanderbilt Rowing Club, and the Nashville Rowing Club.
Marinas
Elm Hill Marina - 3361 Bell Rd. Nashville, TN 37214-4302 (615) 889-5363 http://www.elmhillmarina.com/
Four Corners Marina - 4027 Lavergne-Couchville Pike. Antioch, Tennessee 37013. (615) 641-9523 - http://www.fourcornersmarina.com/
Fate Sanders Marina - 3157 Weakley Lane Mount Juliet, TN 37122 (615) 459-6219 - http://www.fatesandersmarina.net/
Hamilton Creek Sailboat Marina - 2870 Ned Shelton Road Nashville, TN 37217 - (615) 862-8472 - http://www.ppyc.org/
Nashville Shores Marina - 4001 Bell Road Hermitage, TN 37076 (615) 883-0413 - http://www.nashvilleshoresmarina.com/