Lake Blalock (formally, the H. Taylor Blalock Reservoir) is a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

Spartanburg County, South Carolina Spartanburg County is a County (United States), county located on the northwestern border of the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 327,997, making it the fifth-most populous county ...

, located on the

Pacolet River The Pacolet River is a tributary of the Broad River, about 50 miles (80 km) long, in northwestern South Carolina in the United States.Spartanburg Spartanburg is a city in and the seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest city in the state. For a time, the Offi ...

. After its creation was authorized in 1976 by the Commissioners of Spartanburg Water System, Blalock Dam was constructed in 1983. The existing earthen

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

is approximately . long and high. It was originally designed for a normal operating pool of , and the lake had approximately of shoreline. The existing spillway has a crest length of . To increase the safe yield of the reservoir, Spartanburg Water System raised the level of Lake Blalock by , increasing the water surface elevation to in 2004. This project was completed in 2006 and involved overlaying the existing earthen dam with a layer of roller compacted concrete, approximately in thickness, and constructing a new RCC stilling basin. The existing

spillway A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure tha ...

was also upgraded by furnishing and installing three hydraulically operated spillway crest gates, constructing a new cast-in-place concrete ogee crest, and constructing a bridge across the spillway. In addition, the project also cleared approximately 300 acres (42 miles of shoreline) around the perimeter of the reservoir.

References

External links

Spartanburg Water System

Lake Blalock Dam image during construction (Google)
{{authority control Blalock Lake Blalock Protected areas of Spartanburg County, South Carolina Bodies of water of Spartanburg County, South Carolina

See also

References

External links