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Cherokee

Cherokee

Cherokee was built to generate hydroelectric power during the World War II emergency, but it also plays an important role as one of the chains of TVA-managed reservoirs that have prevented billions of dollars in flood damage over the years.

Cherokee Dam is on the Holston River in East Tennessee, 52 miles upstream from the point at which the Holston and French Broad rivers converge to form the Tennessee River.

Cherokee Reservoir is named for the tribe of Native Americans who once inhabited the area. The Great Indian Warpath, once followed by Daniel Boone, crossed the basin now filled by the reservoir.

Cherokee Reservoir is a popular recreation destination. Along its shoreline are public access areas, county, and municipal parks, commercial boat docks and resorts, a state park, and a state wildlife management area. There are many tent and trailer sites for campers.

Fishing is popular at Cherokee. The reservoir’s fish population is very similar to that found in other East Tennessee reservoirs—black bass, sauger, walleye, crappie, various sunfish, and the usual rough-fish species.

Cherokee was built to generate hydroelectric power during the World War II emergency, but it also plays an important role as one of the chains of TVA-managed reservoirs that have prevented billions of dollars in flood damage over the years.

Cherokee: Facts & Figures

  • Construction of Cherokee Dam began on Aug. 1, 1940, and was completed on a crash schedule on Dec. 5, 1941.
  • The reservoir has nearly 400 miles of winding shoreline and about 28,780 acres of water surface.
  • The dam is 175 feet high and stretches 6,760 feet, or well over a mile, from one end to the other.
  • In a year with normal rainfall, the water level in Cherokee Reservoir varies about 30 feet from summer to winter to provide seasonal flood storage.
  • Cherokee has a flood-storage capacity of 749,400 acre-feet.
  • Cherokee Dam is a hydroelectric facility. It has four generating units with a summer net dependable capacity of 122 megawatts. Net dependable capacity is the amount of power a hydroelectric dam can produce on an average day, minus the electricity used by the dam itself.
  • Find Cherokee Dam at 450 Power House Rd., Rutledge, Tenn.

More Information on Cherokee Reservoir

Daily Lake Level

Reservoir Health Ratings

Water Trail Guide