South Holston Dam

South Holston Dam
South Holston Dam
Location of South Holston Dam in Tennessee
Official name	South Holston Dam
Location	Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States
Coordinates	36°31′24″N 82°5′20″W / 36.52333°N 82.08889°W / 36.52333; -82.08889
Construction began	February 16, 1942
Opening date	November 20, 1950
Operator(s)	Tennessee Valley Authority
Dam and spillways
Impounds	South Fork Holston River
Height	285 feet (87 m)
Length	1,600 feet (490 m)
Reservoir
Creates	South Holston Lake
Total capacity	765,000 acre⋅ft (944,000 dam3)[1]
Power Station
Commission date	1950
Turbines	1 x 38.5 MW Francis-type
Installed capacity	38.5 MW[2]

South Holston Dam is a hydroelectric and flood control dam on the South Fork Holston River in Sullivan County, in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the uppermost of three dams on the South Fork Holston owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the 1940s as part of efforts to control flooding in the Tennessee River watershed. On October 21, 1950 the valve gate closed and water began backing up to create South Holston Reservoir. Work began on the dam in December 1941, but in November 1942, the War Production Board requested that the operation be suspended because of a shortage of critical materials. Work did not resume until July 1, 1947. The dam now impounds the South Holston Lake of 7,550 acres (3,060 ha), which extends northeastward across the Tennessee-Virginia state line.^[3]