Norris Lake, also known as Norris Reservoir, is a reservoir that is located in Tennessee. The lake was created by the Norris Dam at the Cove Creek Site on the Clinch River in 1936 by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for flood control, water storage, and hydroelectric power. Norris Dam and its reservoir were the first major project taken on by the TVA. The lake, the dam, and the town of Norris, Tennesseeare named for George W. Norris, who was a U.S. Senator from Nebraska and who wrote the legislation that created the TVA.

History

Norris Lake was created by the Norris Dam, which was the first project taken on by the TVA as part of the New Deal. Construction began in 1933, and the project was finished in March 1936. The dam cost about $36 million to build. The dam is 265 feet high, and extends 1,860 feet across the Clinch River. Construction of the dam also created the nearby town of Norris which was created to house the workers and their families. Norris Dam was primarily built for flood control in the area and it still serves that purpose today. The dam also provides electricity with two generating units, each unit having a generating capacity of 65.7 megawatts (a combined generating capacity of 131.4 megawatts). The power plant generated about 302 gigawatt-hours in 2007. The dam and its reservoir have a flood storage capacity of about 1,113,000 acre-feet.

Norris Lake extends about 73 miles up the Clinch River and 56 miles up the Powell River from Norris Dam. It has a flood storage capacity of about 1,113,000 acre-feet, and it has about 800 miles of shoreline and 52.9 square miles (33,840 acres) of water surface. The lake has a maximum width of about 1.2 miles and a maximum depth of 210 feet, and these make it the largest lake on a tributary of the Tennessee River.

As of 2011, Norris Lake has an ecological health rating of fair. The TVA has put into effect a clean water initiative to improve the cleanliness of the lake.

from Wikipedia