Guntersville Dam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Guntersville Dam |
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Guntersville Dam
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| Official name | Guntersville Dam |
| Location | Marshall County, Alabama, United States |
| Coordinates | 34°25′16″N 86°23′35″W / 34.42111°N 86.39306°W |
| Construction began | December 4, 1935 |
| Opening date | January 17, 1939 |
| Operator(s) | Tennessee Valley Authority |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Impounds | Tennessee River |
| Height | 94 ft (29 m) |
| Length | 3,979 ft (1,213 m) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Guntersville Lake |
| Total capacity | 1,049,000 acre⋅ft (1,294,000 dam3) |
| Catchment area | 24,450 sq mi (63,300 km2) |
Guntersville Dam is a huge structure built across the Tennessee River in Marshall County, Alabama. It's a special kind of dam called a hydroelectric dam. This means it uses the power of moving water to make electricity!
The dam was built by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in the late 1930s. The TVA is a government agency that helps manage the Tennessee River. They built dams like Guntersville to control floods, help boats travel easily, and bring electricity to the area. The dam creates a large body of water called Guntersville Lake. The city of Guntersville, Alabama is about 10 miles (16 km) upstream from the dam. The city is named after John Gunter, who was an early settler.
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Where is Guntersville Dam Located?
Guntersville Dam is about 349 miles (562 km) from where the Tennessee River flows into another river. At this spot, the river changes direction from flowing southwest to flowing northwest.
The lake behind the dam, Guntersville Lake, stretches for almost 73 miles (117 km). It reaches all the way to the Nickajack Dam. The lake covers parts of Marshall and Jackson counties in Alabama. It also reaches into Marion County in Tennessee. The lake's waters have created bays around the city of Guntersville, making the city sit on a long piece of land.
How Big is Guntersville Dam?
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Guntersville Dam is 94 feet (29 m) tall, which is about as high as a 9-story building! It is also 3,979 feet (1,213 m) wide, which is nearly three-quarters of a mile across.
The dam can produce 140,400 kilowatts of electricity. That's enough power for many homes! The dam also has 18 gates that can release a lot of water, up to 478,000 cubic feet per second (13,500 m3/s).
Guntersville Lake's Water Storage
The lake behind the dam, Guntersville Lake, can hold a huge amount of water. It has a total storage capacity of 1,049,000 acre⋅ft (1,294,000 dam3). A part of this water, 162,000 acre⋅ft (200,000 dam3), is saved especially for flood control. This means they can release water to prevent floods downstream.
Guntersville Lake is known for being very stable. Its water level usually changes by only about 2 feet (0.61 m) each year.
The dam has a special part called a navigation lock. This lock helps boats travel past the dam. It is 110-by-600-foot (34 by 183 m) in size. The lock can lift or lower boats up to 45 feet (14 m) between Guntersville Lake and Wheeler Lake.
There is also an older, smaller lock that is 60-by-360-foot (18 by 110 m). This old lock is now used as a backup.
Building Guntersville Dam
Before the TVA was formed, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers looked into building a dam near Guntersville. They wanted to make the river easier for boats to use. The river in this area had water levels that changed a lot, making it hard for large boats to pass.
In 1933, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was created. The TVA took over all the projects to control floods and help navigation in the Tennessee Valley. They decided that a dam at Guntersville was needed to extend the boat channel.
Construction Begins
The plan for Guntersville Dam was approved on November 27, 1935. Construction started just a few days later, on December 4.
Building the dam and creating the lake was a huge job. It required buying 110,145 acres (44,574 ha) of land. Over 24,426 acres (9,885 ha) of forests had to be cleared. Many people and things had to be moved:
- 1,182 families
- 14 cemeteries
- Over 90 miles (140 km) of roads
A large wall, called a dike, was built to protect the city of Guntersville from the rising lake waters. They also had to dig out parts of the river to make the 9-foot (2.7 m) deep channel for boats. An older, smaller dam called Widows Bar Dam was partly taken apart and covered by the new lake.
Guntersville Dam was finished on January 17, 1939. It cost about $51 million to build. The dam's lock, which helps boats, started working on January 24, 1939. The first machine that made electricity at the dam began operating on August 8, 1939. In 2016, the dam was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's recognized as an important historical site.
Images for kids
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Guntersville Dam
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Work below powerhouse at Guntersville Dam, Alabama about 1938-1939
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Design plan for Guntersville Dam, circa 1935
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Aerial view of the Guntersville Lock
