__NOTOC__ The Cheoah Dam is a

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

complex located in

Graham Graham and Graeme may refer to: People * Graham (given name), an English-language given name * Graham (surname), an English-language surname * Graeme (surname), an English-language surname * Graham (musician) (born 1979), Burmese singer * Clan ...

and Swain counties,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, on the

Little Tennessee River The Little Tennessee River is a tributary of the Tennessee River that flows through the Blue Ridge Mountains from Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, into North Carolina, and then into Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. It drains portio ...

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), a subsidiary of Aluminum Company of America (now

Alcoa Alcoa Corporation (an acronym for Aluminum Company of America) is a Pittsburgh-based industrial corporation. It is the world's eighth-largest producer of aluminum. Alcoa conducts operations in 10 countries. Alcoa is a major producer of primary ...

), in order to generate electricity to smelt aluminum in

Alcoa, Tennessee Alcoa is a city in Blount County, Tennessee, Blount County, Tennessee, United States, south of Knoxville, Tennessee, Knoxville. Its population was 10,978 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Knoxville, Tennessee Metropol ...

. The Cheoah project began in 1916 as a construction camp at the Narrows, where the

flowed through a narrow gorge, and it was completed in 1919. Cheoah Dam created the long, narrow Cheoah Reservoir, which covers approximately of the normal full pool area and a drainage area of . The elevation of Cheoah Reservoir is (USGS). A scenic highway runs the length of the reservoir. The water inflow for Cheoah, like that of Calderwood and Chilhowee, is primarily dependent on releases from

TVA The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a Federal government of the United States, federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, an ...

Fontana Dam 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 skyrocketin ...

, the primary flow control facility for the lower Little Tennessee River. Tapoco operated the Cheoah Development until 2012, when it was sold to Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners, forming Brookfield Smoky Mountain Hydropower. When completed in 1919, the dam was the world's highest overflow dam. The turbines were the largest in the world, and the 150,000-volt

transmission line In electrical engineering, a transmission line is a specialized cable or other structure designed to conduct electromagnetic waves in a contained manner. The term applies when the conductors are long enough that the wave nature of the transmis ...

had the highest voltage and the longest span for a transmission line— across the river below Cheoah Dam. The dam and associated structures were listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2004. The dam was used as a filming location for the 1993 movie '' The Fugitive'', starring

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...

.Blueridge National Heritage Area website
, Retrieved on 2009-10-29.

Gallery

Cheoah Dam - NARA - 280752.jpg, 1939 CheoahDam.JPG, 2008 TapocoDam.jpg, 2011

References

External links

"Cheoah Dam," TVA website

"Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners - Cheoah
{{National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina Dams on the Little Tennessee River Dams in North Carolina Hydroelectric power plants in North Carolina Buildings and structures in Graham County, North Carolina Buildings and structures in Swain County, North Carolina Alcoa Power Generating dams Dams completed in 1919 Energy infrastructure completed in 1919 Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina Dams on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Graham County, North Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Swain County, North Carolina Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina 1919 establishments in North Carolina

Gallery

See also

References

External links