Fontana Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Little Tennessee River in Swain and Graham counties, North Carolina, United States. The dam is operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the early 1940s to satisfy the skyrocketing electricity demands in the Tennessee Valley to support the aluminum industry at the height of World War II; it also provided electricity to a formerly rural area.
At 480 feet (150 m) high, Fontana is the tallest dam in the Eastern United States; at the time of its construction, it was the fourth-tallest dam in the world.[1] The dam and associated infrastructure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.
The dam impounds the 10,230-acre (4,140 ha) Fontana Lake, which spreads across a scenic stretch of the Little Tennessee along the southwestern boundary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Appalachian Trail crosses the top of the dam. Fontana is named for the now-inundated town of Fontana, a former lumber and copper-mining hub once located at the mouth of Eagle Creek.[1] The town's name was derived from the Italian word for "fountain."[2]
^ abTennessee Valley Authority, The Fontana Project: A Comprehensive Report on the Planning, Design, Construction, and Initial Operations of the Fontana Project, Technical Report No. 12 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1950), pp. 1-13, 43-45, 453.
^Duane Oliver, Hazel Creek From Then Till Now (Maryville, Tenn.: Stinnett Printing, 1989), p. 69.
FontanaDam is a hydroelectric dam on the Little Tennessee River in Swain and Graham counties, North Carolina, United States. The dam is operated by the...
Fontana Lake is a reservoir impounded by FontanaDam on the Little Tennessee River, and is located in Graham and Swain counties in North Carolina. The...
Fontana Village, North Carolina Fontana-on-Geneva Lake, Wisconsin FontanaDam in the U.S. state of North Carolina Fontana, Chaco, a settlement in San Fernando...
Cherokee Lake Douglas Dam on the French Broad River impounds Douglas Lake Elk River Dam on the Elk River forms Woods Reservoir FontanaDam on the Little Tennessee...
Calderwood and Chilhowee, is primarily dependent on releases from TVA's FontanaDam, the primary flow control facility for the lower Little Tennessee River...
Trail. It flows into the Little Tennessee River at Fontana Lake, a reservoir formed behind FontanaDam. The word Nantahala is Cherokee and means "Land of...
1 km) road segment; located at FontanaDam, the road hugs the northwestern shore of Little Tennessee River section of Fontana Lake before ending at a parking...
border of the park, which is impounded by Chilhowee Dam, Calderwood Dam, Cheoah Dam, and FontanaDam along the boundary. The Pigeon River flows through...
major impoundments: FontanaDam, Cheoah Dam, Calderwood Dam, Chilhowee Dam, and Tellico Dam, and one smaller impoundment, Porters Bend Dam. The Little Tennessee...
meals during the summer months. The FontanaDam Shelter in North Carolina is more commonly referred to as the Fontana Hilton because of amenities (e.g....
megawatts. Like Calderwood and Cheoah, Chilhowee is controlled by FontanaDam. FontanaDam is the primary flow control facility for the lower Little Tennessee...
hydroelectric projects managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority, including FontanaDam. Tourism, especially outdoor ventures such as canoeing, whitewater rafting...
Ferry upstream from Cheoah Dam and just below FontanaDam. Overflow travels to the Cheoah River just below the Cheoah Dam. United States portal Water...
list of the tallest dams in the world over 135 m (443 ft) in height. The tallest dam in the world is the Jinping-I Dam, an arch dam in China at 305 m (1...
approximately 3.5 miles (5.6 km) from the parking lot on the north side of FontanaDam. It is considered a strenuous hike with rapid elevation gain—approximately...
course along the southern shore of man-made Fontana Lake. A side road crosses the TVA constructed FontanaDam; NC 28 skirts the southern boundary of the...
housing for war workers. The largest project of this period was the FontanaDam. After negotiations led by then-Vice President Harry Truman, TVA purchased...
Eagle, Hazel, Forney, Noland and Big creeks in the Smokies, along with FontanaDam and the Oconaluftee River. Homan, Tim. 2004. Hiking the Benton MacKaye...
section's north end, is the FontanaDam Shelter, affectionately known as the Fontana Hilton, known for its view of fjordlike Fontana Lake, comparatively spacious...
Dam and Lake Norman – Duke Power Falls Lake – USACE FontanaDam – Fontana Lake; on the Little Tennessee River; finished in 1944 by the TVA Gaston Dam...
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