Lake Blue Ridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blue Ridge Lake |
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Blue Ridge Lake viewed from Morganton Point with the Rich Mountains in the background
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 Blue Ridge Lake
Location in Georgia (U.S. state)
Blue Ridge Lake
Location in the United States
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| Location | Fannin County, Georgia |
| Coordinates | 34°52′57″N 84°16′48″W / 34.88250°N 84.28000°W |
| Type | reservoir, from 1931 |
| Primary inflows | Toccoa River |
| Primary outflows | Toccoa River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 3,300 acres (1,300 ha) |
| Average depth | 100 ft (30 m) |
| Max. depth | 246 ft (75 m) |
| Surface elevation | 1,686 ft (514 m) |
Blue Ridge Lake is a large, human-made lake located in Fannin County, in the northern part of Georgia. It's actually a type of lake called a reservoir, which means it was created to store water.
This beautiful lake covers about 3,300 acres (that's like 2,500 football fields!). When it's full in the summer, the water level is around 1,686 feet above sea level. The lake is managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), a special government agency. Most of the water in Blue Ridge Lake comes from the Toccoa River.
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About Blue Ridge Lake
Blue Ridge Lake was formed when the Blue Ridge Dam was finished in 1930. The lake has about 60 miles of shoreline, which is a lot of space for exploring! It can hold a huge amount of water, helping to control floods.
The water level in Blue Ridge Lake usually changes by about 20 feet each year. This is because the TVA manages the water for different purposes, like generating electricity and controlling floods.
Building the Dam
The Blue Ridge Dam is a very important part of the lake. It stands 175 feet tall, which is taller than a 15-story building! It stretches 1,553 feet across the Toccoa River. The dam has a single generator that can produce up to 13 megawatts of power. This means it helps create electricity for homes and businesses.
Why the Lake Level Changed in 2010
In July 2010, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) started slowly lowering the water level of Blue Ridge Lake. This was part of a big project to fix and improve the Blue Ridge Dam.
Dam Repair Project
The main goal of this project was to repair a part of the dam called the penstock. A penstock is like a giant pipe that carries water to the power generator. They also wanted to make the dam stronger by stabilizing its upstream (lake side) and downstream (river side) parts.
The lake's water level was lowered to about 1,630 feet above sea level by mid-October 2010. The main repair work that needed the lower water level was finished by April 2011, and the lake started to refill. However, the TVA decided to keep the lake level a bit lower, at 1,672 feet, through the summer of 2012. This was because they noticed some unexpected ground movement near the dam in March 2012, and they wanted to be extra careful.
