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J. Percy Priest Dam

Nashville District
Published Jan. 11, 2024
J. Percy Priest Dam seen from above, with greenish water.

J. Percy Priest Dam

J. Percy Priest Dam was built at mile 6.8 on the Stones River, a tributary of the Cumberland.  The lake is located in north central Tennessee, encompassing portions of Davidson, Rutherford, and Wilson Counties.  Rising 130 feet above the streambed, the combination earth and concrete-gravity dam is 2,716 feet long with a hydroelectric power generating plant.  The dam has contributed significantly in reducing the frequency and severity of flooding in the Cumberland Valley.  In addition to the far reaching effects of flood control, the project contributes to the available electric power supply of this area.

At normal summer pool (Elevation 490.0) the 42-mile long lake with its 213 miles of shoreline contains 14,200 surface areas of water.  Total storage capacity at maximum pool (Elevation 504.5) is 652,200 acre-feet.  Average annual energy output is 70 million kilowatt hours.

DAM  

Type

Concrete-gravity and earthfill

Dimensions:

 

   Maximum height, feet

130

   Length, feet (concrete, 663.5; earth, 2,052.5)

2,716.0

Elevations (above mean sea level):

 

   Top of dam, roadway (Bell Road)

522.0

   Top of gates

504.5

   Spillway crest

463.5

 

RESERVOIR

 

Drainage area, square miles:

865

Length of pool at Elev. 490.0, river miles:

42

Length of shoreline, pool at Elev. 490.0, miles:

213

Area, acres:

 

   Top of flood-control pool (Elev. 504.5)

22,700

   Maximum power pool (Elev. 490.0)

14,200

   Land acreage above normal summer pool (Elev. 490.0)

18,854

   Total project area

33,054

Storage capacities, acre-feet:

 

   Flood control (Elev. 504.5-490.0)

260,000

   Power drawdown (Elev. 490.0-480.0)

124,000

   Permanent pool (below Elev. 480.0)

268,000

   Total (below Elev. 504.5)

652,000

 

Hydropower

HYDROPOWER

 

Installation

1 unit

Generator Rating, kilowatts

28,000

Estimated energy output, average yearly, kilowatt-hours

70,000,000


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