J. Strom Thurmond Dam, then and now

Eight years in the making, the J. Strom Thurmond Dam was a monumental task for engineers and construction workers in the 1940s and ‘50s.

Archival footage in this video shows the steps they took to layer power plant fixtures as the dam was being built.

The $79 million price tag could have been much higher had they not discovered a motherlode of granite within a mile of the construction site on the Georgia side of the river.

Today, the reservoir’s 71,000 acres of water and 1,200 miles of shoreline offer ample recreation opportunities while also providing power to surrounding communities.

The project houses 7 generators and in one hour, a single generator can produce enough electricity to power more than 200 homes for one year.

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About US Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District oversees a multi-million dollar military construction program at 11 Army and Air Force installations in Georgia and North Carolina. We also manage water resources across the Coastal Georgia region, including maintenance dredging of the Savannah and Brunswick harbors; operation of three hydroelectric dams and reservoirs along the upper Savannah River; and administration of an extensive stream and wetland permitting and mitigation program within the state of Georgia. Follow us on Twitter @SavannahCorps and on Facebook.com/SavannahCorps
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