Cordell Hull Lake is located on the Cumberland River in Smith, Jackson, and Clay counties of Tennessee. The dam is located at river mile 313.5, about five miles upstream of the city of Carthage, Tenn. The construction took place across 10 years completion in 1973. The construction was preformed by private contractors.
Rising 87 feet above the streambed, the combination earth fill and concrete-gravity dam is 1,306 feet long with a hydroelectric power generating plant. At normal summer pool (elevation 504.00) the 72-mile long lake with its 381 miles of shoreline contains 11,960 surface areas of water. Total storage capacity at maximum pool (Elevation 508.00) is 13,920 acres. Average annual output is 350 million kilowatt hours serving the cities of Gallatin, Carthage, and Cookeville.
It takes approximately 30 minutes to lock a boat through the 84 foot wide by 400 foot long lock which contains approximately 17 million gallons of water. Cordell Hull Lake has a total of 38,633 acres of land and water.
Dam
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Type
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Concrete-gravity and earthfill
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Dimensions:
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Maximum height, feet
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93
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Above Streambed
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87
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Length, feet:
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Powerhouse section
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310
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Spillway section
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291
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Lock Section
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168
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Earth Embankment
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468
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Total Structures
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1,306
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Reservoir
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Operating levels at dam:
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Maximum surcharge pool (area 13,920 acres)
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508.0
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Normal operation:
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Full pool (area 11,900 acres)
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504.0
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Minimum pool (area 9,820 acres)
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499.0
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Length:
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Backwater to Celina, TN
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67.3 miles
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Shoreline length:
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At 504.0
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381 miles
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Lock Dimensions:
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Chamber dimensions, feet
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84 X 400
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Lift at normal pool, feet
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53
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Minimum filling time
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11 minutes
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Gallons
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17 million
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Spillway:
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Net width opening, feet
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225
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Discharge capacity, cubic feet per second
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175,000
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Crest Gates:
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Number and Type
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5, Tainer
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Size, width and height, feet
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45 X 41
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Hydropower
Power Plant:
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Generator Capacity: 3 units @33,333 kW
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100,000 kW
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Estimated average annual energy output, kW
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350,000,000
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