From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Man-made reservoir in Tennessee, United States
Douglas Lake
, also called
Douglas Reservoir
, is a
reservoir
created by an impoundment of the
French Broad River
in
Eastern Tennessee
. This lake is located only a few miles from the
Pigeon Forge
/
Gatlinburg
area, and also the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
.
The
Douglas Dam
was built by the
Tennessee Valley Authority
at a record pace from February 2, 1942, through February 19, 1943, to provide
hydroelectric power
and to control flooding downstream in the
Tennessee River Valley
.
[1]
[2]
Douglas Dam is located just over 32 miles (51 km) upstream from the French Broad River's confluence with the
Holston River
in
Knoxville
, to form the
Tennessee River
. The Douglas Lake reservoir inundates about a 40-mile (64 km) stretch of the French Broad River between the Douglas Dam and the Irish Bottoms area near
Newport
. Small portions of the
Nolichucky
and
Pigeon
rivers are also impounded by the lake. During the winter months, the
Tennessee Valley Authority
lowers the water level to help control flooding, meet power demands, and many other objectives. This is important to know in advance to make plans to stay near the lake.
The resort town of
Baneberry
is located on the northern shores of the lake in
Jefferson County
.
Dandridge
, the county seat of Jefferson County, is located mostly on the northern shores with a small portion on the southern. Parts of downtown Dandridge are located below the lake's operating levels, and are protected by an earthen dam.
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