Lake Keowee
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Lake Keowee | |
---|---|
Location | South Carolina |
Coordinates | |
Lake type | reservoir |
Primary inflows | Keowee River, Little River |
Primary outflows | Keowee River, Little River |
Basin countries | United States |
Surface area | 18,372 acres (74.35 km²) |
Lake Keowee is a reservoir created by Keowee Dam and Little River Dam. It impounds the Keowee River and the Little River, each of which exits through its respective dam. The two rivers join just below the dams and their confluence forms the Seneca River, a tributary of the Savannah River. Lake Keowee is used as cooling water for three nuclear reactors located at the Oconee Nuclear Generating Station which are owned by Duke Energy Corporation. Duke Energy's Keowee Hydro Station generates 158 MW from the dammed lake. The lake covers about 18,372 acres.[1]
The Keowee River, now inundated by Lake Keowee, was the heart of the Cherokee Lower Towns region. The principal Lower Town, Keowee was on the bank of the river and gave both the river and the lake their names.