Lake Chatuge is a man-made reservoir in Towns County, Georgia, and Clay County, North Carolina. It was formed by the Tennessee Valley Authority's construction of Chatuge Dam (then the highest earthen dam in the world) in 1942.[2][3] The lake is relatively shallow with depths of 30 feet (9.1 m) and reaches 144 feet (44 m) by the dam. In an average year the water level varies 10 feet (3.0 m) from winter to summer to provide seasonal flood storage.[4] Lake Chatuge is the highest major lake in the state of Georgia.[5] It takes up 7,000 acres (2,800 ha) and is 13 miles (21 km) long.[6][4]
| Lake Chatuge | |
|---|---|
 Lake Chatuge reservoir on Aug. 3, 2022 | |
  Lake Chatuge  Lake Chatuge | |
| Location | United States |
| Coordinates | 34°59′28″N 83°47′06″W / 34.991°N 83.785°W |
| Surface area | 10.9 sq mi (28 km2) |
| Average depth | 9.1 m (30 ft) |
| Max. depth | 44 m (144 ft) at dam |
| Water volume | 62,619 m3 (2,211,400 cu ft) maximum |
| Shore length1 | 132 mi (212 km) |
| Surface elevation | 1,926 ft (587 m) [1] |
| Settlements | Hayesville, Hiawassee, |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
The lake is named after an 18th-century Cherokee Native American settlement once located near the dam site.[4][7] The word means “Beautiful” and “Land where the waters meet” (the lake covers the meeting place of the Hiwassee River and Shooting Creek).[3] The reservoir is home to rainbow trout, catfish, bass, crappie, walleye, blue gill and brim. Bass clubs hold tournaments on the lake.[3]
History
editThe construction of Chatuge Dam and its reservoir required the purchase of 11,641 acres (4,711 ha) of land, 1,904 acres (771 ha) of which had to be cleared. 278 families, 532 graves, and 40 miles (64 km) of roads (including part of U.S. Route 64 and all of NC 69) had to be relocated.[8] One house relocated from the Elf community during the clearing of the land later became the Clay County School District superintendent’s office until 2005. The TVA delayed its plans to fill the lake after a 92-year-old resident suffered a severe stroke and could not be removed from his homestead without dying. After he died the next month, Chatuge Dam's flood gates were closed.[3]
The total cost of creating Chatuge Lake was $8,874,866.[8] Chatuge Dam was raised ten feet in 1954 so the lake level could rise an additional four feet.[3][9]
In 2024 TVA announced it was investigating an infestation of the invasive Myriophyllum aquaticum plant that was threatening the lake.[10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Georgia Lake Levels".
- ^ Chatuge Reservoir at TVA
- ^ a b c d e Moore, Carl S. (1 Jan 2007). "Impact of National Forest & TVA Chatuge Dam". Clay County, NC Then and Now: A Written and Pictorial History. Genealogy Publishing Service. ISBN 9781881851240.
- ^ a b c "Chatuge". TVA.com. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- ^ "Lake Chatuge Vacation Info - Lakelubbers". Lakelubbers. Retrieved 2017-05-28.
- ^ Tennessee Valley Authority, The Nickajack Project: A Report on the Planning, Design, Construction, Initial Operations, and Costs, Technical Report No. 16 (Knoxville, Tenn.: Tennessee Valley Authority, 1972), pp. 10-11.
- ^ Tennessee Valley Authority, The Hiwassee Valley Projects Volume 2: The Apalachia, Ocoee No. 3, Nottely, and Chatuge Projects, Technical Report No. 5 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1948), pp. 1-8, 17-19, 50-55, 209, 214, 222, 232, 496-497.
- ^ a b Padgett, Guy (1976). A History of Clay County, North Carolina. Clay County Bicentennial Committee.
- ^ "Chatuge Lake to rise 4 ft". The Cherokee Scout. Murphy, N.C. 1954-04-15. p. A1.
- ^ Kleinpeter, Brittany (2023-10-23). "'Like kudzu in the water' | How an invasive weed known as 'parrot feather' is threatening Lake Chatuge". 11Alive.com. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
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