Cheoah Dam

The Cheoah Dam is a hydroelectric complex located in Graham and Swain counties, North Carolina, on the Little Tennessee River between river miles 51 and 52. The Cheoah Development consists of a dam and powerhouse, the first of several constructed by the Tallassee Power Company, now Tapoco. The Cheoah project began in 1916 as a construction camp at the Narrows where the Little Tennessee River flowed through a narrow gorge, and was completed in 1919. Cheoah Dam helps form the long, narrow Cheoah Reservoir, which covers the approximately 644 acres (261 ha) of the normal full pool area and a drainage area of 1,608 square miles (4,160 km2). The elevation of Cheoah Reservoir is 1,276.8 feet (389.2 m) (USGS). A scenic highway runs the length of the reservoir.[2]

Cheoah Hydroelectric Development
Cheoah Hydroelectric Dam, 2010
Location1512 Tapoca Rd., NC 129, near Robbinsville, North Carolina
Coordinates35°27′0″N 83°56′10″W
Area25 acres (10 ha)
Built1919 (1919)
Built byPower & Engineering Group of Alcoa
Architectural styleClassical Revival
MPSTapoco Hydroelectric Project MPS
NRHP reference No.04000464[1]
Added to NRHPMay 21, 2004

The water inflow for Cheoah, like Calderwood and Chilhowee, is primarily dependent on releases from TVA's Fontana Dam. Fontana Dam is the primary flow control facility for the lower Little Tennessee River. Tapoco built and operated the Cheoah Development until 2012 when it was sold to Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners, forming Brookfield Smoky Mountain Hydropower.[3]

When completed, the 225-foot (69 m) dam was the world's highest overflow dam. The turbines were the largest in the world, and the 150,000-volt transmission line had the highest voltage and the longest span for a transmission line — 5,010 feet (1,530 m) across the river below Cheoah Dam.[4] The dam and associated structures were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.[1]

The dam was used as a filming location for the 1993 movie The Fugitive, starring Harrison Ford.[5]

  • 1939
  • 2008
  • 2011

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Philip Thomason and Teresa Douglass (October 2003). "Cheoah Hydroelectric Development" (pdf). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved 2014-11-01.
  3. Alcoa website Archived 2007-08-20 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved on 2009-10-29.
  4. Barrett, J.S. "History of Tapoco". Retrieved 2010-01-14.
  5. Blueridge National Heritage Area website Archived 2012-02-22 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved on 2009-10-29.
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