| Carters Dam | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Murray County, Georgia |
| Status | Operational |
| Opening date | 1977 |
| Built by | United States Army Corps of Engineers |
| Designed by | United States Army Corps of Engineers |
Carters Dam is an earthen embankment dam located south of Chatsworth in Murray County and west of Ellijay in northwestern Georgia, United States, that creates Carters Lake.
The dam is 445 feet (136 m) tall and is situated 26.8 miles (43.1 km) above the mouth of the Coosawattee River. The drainage area is 376 square miles (970 km2). [1]
The dam took 15 years to build and was completed in 1977. The area of the primary flood control pool is 3,880 acres (1,570 ha). The top elevation of the dam is 1,112.3 feet (339.0 m). The top width of the dam is 40 feet (12 m). The dam is constructed of rock and earth and is the tallest earthen dam east of the Mississippi River.
The dam has a diversion tunnel that is 2,407 feet (734 m). It is a horseshoe shape with a bottom width of 23 feet (7.0 m). [2]
The lake is the deepest manmade reservoir east of the Mississippi River and deepest lake in Georgia.[ citation needed ] The created lake is more than 450 feet (140 m) deep and has 62 miles (100 km) of shoreline without any private docks or other development.[ citation needed ]
Below the dam is a 1,000-acre (400 ha) retention and re-regulation lake (Reregulation Reservoir). The hydroelectric plant is of the pumped storage type. That is, during off-peak hours the water from the retention lake is pumped back up to Carters Lake for use in generating power during the next time of peak demand. The dam's power station contains 2 × 140 megawatts (190,000 hp) Francis turbines and 2 × 160 MW Modified Francis pump turbines for used in pumped-storage (500MW). [3]
Electricity from the dam is marketed by the Southeastern Power Administration. [4]
The Ludington Pumped Storage Plant is a hydroelectric plant and reservoir in Ludington, Michigan. It was built between 1969 and 1973 at a cost of $315 million and is owned jointly by Consumers Energy and DTE Energy and operated by Consumers Energy. At the time of its construction, it was the largest pumped storage hydroelectric facility in the world.
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower. Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also more than nuclear power. Hydropower can provide large amounts of low-carbon electricity on demand, making it a key element for creating secure and clean electricity supply systems. A hydroelectric power station that has a dam and reservoir is a flexible source, since the amount of electricity produced can be increased or decreased in seconds or minutes in response to varying electricity demand. Once a hydroelectric complex is constructed, it produces no direct waste, and almost always emits considerably less greenhouse gas than fossil fuel-powered energy plants. However, when constructed in lowland rainforest areas, where part of the forest is inundated, substantial amounts of greenhouse gases may be emitted.
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