Watts Bar Dam

Barrier on the Tennessee River situated 80 km/50 mi north-northeast of Chattanooga in Meigs and Rhea counties, eastern Tennessee. The Watts Bar Dam was one of the major projects undertaken by the Tennessee Valley Authority; it measures 34 m/112 ft high by 903 m/2,960 ft wide, and was completed in 1942.

Constructed mainly of concrete but with a wing built of earth, the Watts Bar Dam provides flood control and hydroelectric power. It also has a lock that allows ships to pass upstream to Knoxville. The Watts Bar nuclear power station is located just south of the dam. Watts Bar Lake extends behind the barrier for over 110 km/70 mi, and a number of arms of the lake also lead off from the dam. In addition to the Tennessee, it impounds the waters of the Clinch, Emory, and other, smaller rivers. Water from the Little Tennessee River enters it by way of the Tellico Dam at Lenoir City.