J. Percy Priest Dam

J. Percy Priest Dam forms Percy Priest Lake on the Stones River.

J. Percy Priest Dam and hydroelectric power plant

Schematic of J. Percy Priest dam, showing the pool levels at various stages of water storage.

J. Percy Priest Dam is a dam in north central Tennessee at mile 6.8 of the Stones River, a tributary of the Cumberland. Its is located about ten miles east of downtown Nashville. The reservoir behind the dam is Percy Priest Lake.

The Flood Control Act of 1946 commissioned the construction of a project under the name “Stewarts Ferry Reservoir”. Public Law 85-496, approved July 2, 1958, changed the name to J. Percy Priest in honor of the late Congressman from Tennessee. Construction began June 2, 1963 and the dam was completed in 1968. The dam was built under U.S. Army Corps of Engineers supervision.

Rising 130 feet (40 m) above the streambed, the combination earth and concrete-gravity dam is 2,716 feet (828 m) long with a hydroelectric power plant generating 28 MW electrical power. The dam has contributed significantly in reducing the frequency and severity of flooding in the Cumberland Valley. In addition to the far-reaching effects of flood control, the project contributes to the available electric power supply of this area.

The dam is easily visible from Interstate 40 where it crosses the Stones River.

External links

• Priest Dam project changed lives of many - The Tennessean
• View Weather & Maps - Unearthed Outdoors

 This article incorporates public domain material from the [[1] United States Army Corps of Engineers]