Bull Sluice Lake
Bull Sluice Lake is a small reservoir located along the Chattahoochee River in northern Georgia, in the northern suburbs of metro Atlanta. It is 673 acres (2.72 km2), and is impounded by Morgan Falls Dam. Besides the hydroelectric power produced by the dam, the lake's primary use is recreation, including fishing and rowing. It also now helps to buffer releases by Buford Dam, from the much larger (by 500 times) Lake Lanier, 36 miles (58 km) upstream.
Bull Sluice Lake is created by Morgan Falls Dam, a small hydroelectric dam located along the Chattahoochee River at the northern end of Sandy Springs, Georgia, in north metro Atlanta, located in East Cobb County. Originally constructed in 1904 by Georgia Power to provide electricity for Atlanta's streetcars, it now provides enough power for about 4400 homes. It was named for then recently deceased Georgia Power president S. Morgan Smith's mother whose maiden name was Morgan. At the time it was by far the largest hydroelectric plant in the state. [1] In 1924 it was rebuilt as a 60 cycle plant with 15,000 kilowatts (up from the original 10,500kW).[2] In 1957 it was raised to regulate the flow from Buford Dam in order to give Atlanta water during the hours it was needed most. [3] It is 896 feet or 314 meters long, and 56 feet or 17 meters tall. The dam's current license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) was issued in March 1959, and expires in February 2009. Georgia Power has begun the required impact studies for re-licensing of the dam, which will be for 30 or 50 years.
References
- ^ Wright, Wade, The History of the Georgia Power Company, GPC, 1957, p.109
- ^ Wright, Wade, The History of the Georgia Power Company, GPC, 1957, p.183
- ^ Martin, Herald, Atlanta and Environs, Vol III, UGA Press, 1987, p.260
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