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Hiwassee Dam in the late 1930s. By 1941, the outbreak of World War II in Europe brought a drastic increase in the demand for electricity— especially to support aluminum production in the
Tennessee Valley— and TVA quickly put together a plan to build several new dams, including Apalachia, all of which were authorized July 16, 1941. Work began on Apalachia the following day.
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The construction of
Apalachia Dam and its reservoir required the purchase of 4,500 acres (1,800 ha) of land, most of which was in possession of three private entities— the Union Power Company, the Hiwassee-Nolichucky Power Company, and the Hiwassee River Power Company, with Union holding
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connects the reservoir intake at the dam site to the 8.3-mile (13.4 km) conduit. The conduit emerges from a cliffside overlooking the dam's powerhouse, where it splits into two smaller tunnels which carry the water to a valve house. From the valve house, the water drops 200 feet (61 m)
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Apalachia Dam's powerhouse is located 12 miles (19 km) downstream from the dam at the base of a steep-walled gorge formed as the river flows between two mountain formations. The dam's 8.3-mile (13.4 km) conduit— all but 1,600 feet (490 m) of which is underground— passes
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Apalachia Dam was completed
September 15, 1942, and its gates were closed February 14, 1943. The tunnel was completed April 1, 1943. The dam's first generator went online September 22, 1943, and a second went online November 17 of the same year. The total cost of the project was just over $ 24
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identified several potential dams sites, including
Apalachia, in the 1920s, and by the time the Tennessee Valley Authority was formed in 1933, several companies had bought up land and flowage rights in the Hiwassee Valley. TVA took the initiative in the valley, however, with the construction of
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The construction of the conduit was necessary to exploit the 12-mile (19 km) stretch of river immediately downstream from the dam site in which the river drops on average 26 feet (7.9 m) per mile. The conduit's tunnel was built using blasting and a drill jumbo, and its 235-foot
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nearly half of the 4,500 acres (18 km). After the initial purchase, the
Hiwassee-Nolichucky Power Company sold TVA an additional 8,100 acres (3,300 ha), nearly tripling the reservation size. Land for the conduit was transferred by the
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through two steel penstocks to the powerhouse turbines below. The total elevation drop from lake surface to power house discharge is 394 feet (120 m) to 436 feet (133 m), depending on the lake level.
214:. While the dam is in North Carolina, an 8.3-mile (13.4 km) underground conduit carries water from the dam's reservoir to the powerhouse located 12 miles (19 km) downstream across the state line in
297:. The dam's spillway is controlled by 10 radial gates with a combined discharge of 136,000 cubic feet per second (3,900 m/s). Apalachia Lake stretches for 9.8 miles (15.8 km) to the base of
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253:. The dam is situated near the center of a scenic and relatively isolated valley sliced by the river as it winds its way through the southwestern fringe of the
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Apalachia Dam is a concrete gravity diversion-type dam 150 feet (46 m) high and 1,308 feet (399 m) long, and has a generating capacity of 93,600
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473:, Technical Report No. 5 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1948), pp. 1–13, 33, 34–35, 331, 493–494, 517, 526, 531.
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Apalachia Dam is named for the crossroads community of Old
Apalachia, located near the dam site in North Carolina, and the community's
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Private and public entities had been aware of the hydroelectric potential of the
Hiwassee River since the early 1900s. The
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The construction of the
Apalachia Dam eliminated the natural water flow on the Hiwassee River, causing the decline of
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railroad stop, known simply as
Apalachia, which was further downstream on the Tennessee side of the state line.
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The
Nickajack Project: A Report on the Planning, Design, Construction, Initial Operations, and Costs
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301:, and contains 31 miles (50 km) of shoreline and 1,070 acres (430 ha) of water surface.
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The Hiwassee Valley Projects Volume 2: The Apalachia, Ocoee No. 3, Nottely, and Chatuge Projects
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Apalachia Dam is located nearly 66 miles (106 km) upstream from the mouth of the
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378:), a major reason why the plant was placed on the Endangered Species List in 1985.
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202:. The dam is the lowermost of three dams on the river owned and operated by the
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350:(72 m) surge tank was excavated into the rock near the valve house.
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National Register of Historic Places in Cherokee County, North Carolina
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Dams on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina
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218:. The dam and associated infrastructure were listed on the
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Buildings and structures in Cherokee County, North Carolina
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million (equivalent to $ 338 million in 2023).
1094:Buildings and structures in Polk County, Tennessee
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285:behind the cliffs on the south side of the river.
265:surrounds the dam and its reservoir on all sides.
337:A worker walks through Apalachia's conduit tunnel
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245:and Western North Carolina before emptying into
515:Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023).
321:TVA's design plan for Apalachia Dam, circa 1941
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1104:Hydroelectric power plants in North Carolina
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1114:Energy infrastructure completed in 1943
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261:rise to the north of the dam, and the
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177:1,018 sq mi (2,640 km)
167:57,800 acre⋅ft (71,300 dam)
220:National Register of Historic Places
16:Dam in North Carolina, United States
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357:Family displaced in Cherokee County
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553:Determination of End. Status for
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1084:Tennessee Valley Authority dams
536:Gross Domestic Product deflator
48:Cherokee County, North Carolina
489:. Retrieved: 26 January 2009.
304:A 900-foot (270 m) steel
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517:"What Was the U.S. GDP Then?"
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501:Tennessee Valley Authority,
485:Tennessee Valley Authority,
469:Tennessee Valley Authority,
327:U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
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313:Background and construction
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1079:Dams on the Hiwassee River
617:Tennessee Valley Authority
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204:Tennessee Valley Authority
144:1,308 ft (399 m)
112:Tennessee Valley Authority
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578:— official TVA site
263:Nantahala National Forest
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879:Coal-fired power plants
426:Renewable energy portal
198:, in the U.S. state of
136:150 ft (46 m)
92:Construction began
1109:Dams completed in 1943
1099:Dams in North Carolina
557:(Ruth's Golden Aster).
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216:Polk County, Tennessee
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76:35.16778°N 84.29556°W
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398:United States portal
272:View from downstream
255:Blue Ridge Mountains
631:generating stations
576:Apalachia Reservoir
538:figures follow the
487:Apalachia Reservoir
372:Ruth's golden aster
344:U.S. Forest Service
173:Catchment area
164:Total capacity
158:Apalachia Reservoir
81:35.16778; -84.29556
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719:Fort Patrick Henry
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280:View from upstream
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210:production during
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744:Little Bear Creek
188:hydroelectric dam
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118:Dam and spillways
103:February 14, 1943
100:Opening date
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844:Upper Bear Creek
814:Raccoon Mountain
799:Pickwick Landing
615:operated by the
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540:MeasuringWorth
534:United States
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39:Apalachia Dam
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36:Official name
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22:Apalachia Dam
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1048:Browns Ferry
1010:Lagoon Creek
1000:Johnsonville
942:Widows Creek
917:Johnsonville
729:Guntersville
714:Fort Loudoun
649:Beaver Creek
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528:November 30,
526:. Retrieved
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412:Water portal
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299:Hiwassee Dam
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212:World War II
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995:John Sevier
970:Brownsville
912:John Sevier
754:Melton Hill
724:Great Falls
694:Clear Creek
689:Chickamauga
674:Cedar Creek
108:Operator(s)
79: /
55:Coordinates
1073:Categories
902:Cumberland
764:Nolichucky
749:Lost Creek
659:Blue Ridge
644:Bear Creek
613:Facilities
442:References
67:84°17′44″W
1058:Watts Bar
1030:Southaven
975:Caledonia
937:Watts Bar
854:Watts Bar
839:Tims Ford
759:Nickajack
639:Apalachia
295:kilowatts
222:in 2017.
149:Reservoir
64:35°10′4″N
1053:Sequoyah
1025:Paradise
1020:Marshall
1015:Magnolia
985:Gallatin
927:Paradise
922:Kingston
907:Gallatin
892:Bull Run
829:Sycamore
769:Normandy
739:Kentucky
734:Hiwassee
684:Cherokee
542:series.
436:New Deal
382:See also
306:penstock
289:Capacity
233:Location
208:aluminum
123:Impounds
44:Location
990:Gleason
980:Colbert
932:Shawnee
897:Colbert
859:Wheeler
849:Watauga
834:Tellico
804:Pin Oak
794:Ocoee 3
789:Ocoee 2
784:Ocoee 1
779:Nottely
709:Fontana
704:Douglas
699:Dogwood
679:Chatuge
551:USFWS.
366:Ecology
257:. The
243:Georgia
227:L&N
190:on the
154:Creates
1005:Kemper
947:Wilson
869:Wilson
864:Wilbur
819:Redbud
774:Norris
141:Length
133:Height
965:Allen
887:Allen
669:Cedar
664:Boone
654:Beech
186:is a
809:Pine
627:and
625:Dams
530:2023
249:in
194:in
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519:.
494:^
478:^
450:^
605:e
598:t
591:v
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374:(
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