Hiwassee, North Carolina

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Picture from atop the Hiwassee dam in North Carolina.
Picture from atop the Hiwassee dam in North Carolina.

Hiwassee is a small village in Cherokee County, North Carolina, which sits next to the Hiwassee Dam and the artificially created Hiwassee Reservoir, on Hiwassee River.

[edit] Hiwassee Dam

The Dam itself was constructed between 1936 and 1940 by the Tennessee Valley Authority as part of Roosevelt's New Deal policy. Hiwassee Dam is still maintained by the TVA. It has a height of 307 feet, spans a distance of 1,376 across the Hiwassee River and can produce 185,000 kilowatts of electricity.

Hiwassee Dam was the worlds tallest "overflow" dam until the completion of the Aswan High Dam on the Nile River in Egypt in the early 1970's. The depth from the top of the spillgates to the bedrock at the face of the dam is 285 feet.

[edit] Hiwassee Reservoir

Hiwassee Reservoir
Hiwassee Reservoir - Reservoir from atop the Hiwassee dam
Reservoir from atop the Hiwassee dam
Location North Carolina
Coordinates 35°09′10″N, 084°10′41″W
Lake type reservoir
Primary inflows Hiwassee River
Primary outflows Hiwassee River
Basin countries United States

The reservoir serves recreational, power generation and flood control purposes. It is beautifully situated surrounded by the Nantahala and Cherokee National Forests and almost right next to the Apalachia Reservoir. Both reservoirs are important for local wildlife such as deer.

Coordinates: 35°09′51″N 84°15′15″W / 35.16417, -84.25417