NASHVILLE DISTRICT

Dale Hollow Dam is one of the multipurpose projects that make up the Corps of Engineers’ system for development of the water resources of the Cumberland River Basin. This system is an important part of a larger plan of development for the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.

As a major unit in the system, Dale Hollow Dam and Lake function to control the floodwaters of the Obey River and contribute to the reduction of flood levels at municipal, industrial and agricultural areas along the Cumberland, lower Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.

In addition to the far-reaching effects of flood control, the project contributes to the electrical power supply of the area through the generation of clean, safe and efficient hydroelectric power.

In the generation of power, water from the reservoir enters gate-controlled intakes into the powerhouse, rotates the turbines and discharges through draft tubes into the river below the dam. Generators mounted on the same shafts with the turbines produce electricity. The electrical voltage is increased by transformers in the switchyard and distributed by transmission lines.

Power produced at Dale Hollow is sufficient to supply the needs of an average city of 45,000 people.