Jocassee Dam

Jocassee Dam (often called Lake Jocassee Dam) is an embankment dam on the Keowee River, straddling the border of Pickens and Oconee counties in South Carolina in the United States. The dam forms Lake Jocassee, which is fed by the Toxaway, Thompson, Horsepasture and Whitewater rivers, and serves primarily for hydroelectric power generation and flood control. The dam and reservoir are part of the Keowee-Toxaway Hydroelectric Project, owned and operated by Duke Energy.[4][5]

Jocassee Dam
CountryUnited States
LocationPickens/Oconee Counties, South Carolina
Coordinates34°57′36″N 82°55′10″W
Opening date1973
Owner(s)Duke Energy
Dam and spillways
Type of damEmbankment
ImpoundsKeowee River
Height385 ft (117 m)[1]
Length1,800 ft (550 m)[1]
Reservoir
CreatesLake Jocassee
Total capacity1,185,000 acre⋅ft (1.462 km3)[2]
Catchment area148 sq mi (380 km2)[3]
Power Station
Commission date1973–1975[1]
Turbines4[1]
Installed capacity710 MW (950,000 hp)[1]
Annual generation811 GWh (2,920 TJ)[1]

Completed in 1973, the dam is a zoned earth and rock fill structure, standing 385 feet (117 m) high with a crest length of 1,800 feet (550 m). At full pool, the reservoir has a storage capacity of 1,185,000 acre feet (1.462×109 m3),[2] encompassing 75 miles (121 km) of shoreline and 7,500 acres (3,000 ha). Floodwater is released through a spillway controlled by two 40-by-32-foot (12.2 m × 9.8 m) gates, with a capacity of 45,700 cubic feet per second (1,290 m3/s).[3]

The dam supports a 710 megawatts (950,000 hp) hydroelectric station, generating power from four turbines. Two of the turbines were installed in 1973, while the third and fourth units came online in 1975. The power station functions as a pumped-storage operation designed to provide peaking power, and generates an average of 811 million kilowatt-hours (2.92×109 MJ) per year.[1] The dam is shown under construction in the 1972 thriller film Deliverance.

See also

References
  1. "Lake Jocassee and Jocassee Pumped Storage Facility". The Keowee-Toxaway Project. Duke Energy. Archived from the original on 2014-10-16. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  2. "Special Topics" (PDF). South Carolina Water Assessment. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  3. "Oconee Nuclear Station ISFSI Safety Analysis Report" (PDF). United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 2000-12-31. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  4. "Keowee-Toxaway Hydroelectric Project Description". Duke Energy. Archived from the original on 2014-10-16. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  5. https://www.duke-energy.com/power-plants/pumped-storage-hydro/jocassee.asp
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