Cheoah Dam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Cheoah Hydroelectric Development
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Cheoah Hydroelectric Dam, 2010
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 Location in North Carolina
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1512 Tapoca Rd., NC 129, near Robbinsville, North Carolina |
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| Area | 25 acres (10 ha) |
| Built | 1919 |
| Built by | Power & Engineering Group of Alcoa |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| MPS | Tapoco Hydroelectric Project MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 04000464 |
| Added to NRHP | May 21, 2004 |
The Cheoah Dam is a large structure that helps make electricity from water. It is located in Graham and Swain counties, North Carolina. This dam was built on the Little Tennessee River. It was one of the first big power projects built by the Tallassee Power Company, which is now known as Tapoco. Construction on the Cheoah Dam started in 1916 and it was finished in 1919. The dam creates a long, narrow lake called Cheoah Reservoir.
Cheoah Dam: A Giant Power Maker
The Cheoah Dam is a key part of how electricity is made in this area. It uses the power of moving water to create energy. This type of power plant is called a hydroelectric complex. The company that built it, Tallassee Power Company (now Tapoco), started building it in a narrow part of the Little Tennessee River.
How the Dam Works
The Cheoah Dam helps form the Cheoah Reservoir, which is a lake covering about 644 acres. This reservoir collects water from a large area, about 1,608 square miles. The water level of the Cheoah Reservoir is about 1,276.8 feet high. A beautiful highway runs along the side of the reservoir.
The amount of water flowing into Cheoah Dam depends a lot on releases from TVA's Fontana Dam. Fontana Dam controls most of the water flow for the lower Little Tennessee River. Tapoco built and ran the Cheoah Dam until 2012. Then, it was sold to Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners, which formed Brookfield Smoky Mountain Hydropower.
A Record-Breaking Dam
When the Cheoah Dam was finished, it was very impressive. At 225 feet tall, it was the highest overflow dam in the world. The machines inside that make electricity, called turbines, were also the largest in the world at that time.
The power lines connected to the dam were also record-breaking. The 150,000-volt transmission line had the highest voltage ever for a power line. It also had the longest span, stretching 5,010 feet across the river below the dam. Because of its importance and unique features, the dam and its related buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
Famous on Screen
The Cheoah Dam is not just important for power; it's also famous! It was used as a filming location for the 1993 movie The Fugitive. This movie starred the well-known actor Harrison Ford.
Gallery
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Cheoah Dam in 1939
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Cheoah Dam in 2008
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Cheoah Dam in 2011
