John H. Kerr Reservoir
| John H. Kerr Reservoir, Kerr Lake, Buggs Island Lake |
|||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Coordinates | 36 ° 34 '5 " N , 78 ° 19' 40" W | ||||||||||
| Data on the structure | |||||||||||
| Lock type: | Gravity dam with flanking earth dams | ||||||||||
| Construction time: | 1947-1953 | ||||||||||
| Height of the barrier structure : | 43.9 m | ||||||||||
| Height of the structure crown: | 101.2 m | ||||||||||
| Crown length: | 6th 716 m | ||||||||||
| Power plant output: | 206 MW | ||||||||||
| Operator: | United States Army Corps of Engineers | ||||||||||
| Data on the reservoir | |||||||||||
| Altitude (at congestion destination ) | 91.4 m | ||||||||||
| Water surface | 198 km² | ||||||||||
| Total storage space : | 1 836 000 000 m³ | ||||||||||
| Catchment area | 20th 200 km² | ||||||||||
The John H. Kerr Reservoir (or in German notation: John H. Kerr Reservoir; short: Kerr Lake, also Buggs Island Lake ) is a reservoir in the southeastern United States . It is located on the central Roanoke River in the US states of Virginia and North Carolina . At normal water level (91 m above sea level ) the lake has an area of 198 square kilometers .
Which was named reservoir after the Congress seconded John H. Kerr from North Carolina; in Virginia, however, the original project name "Buggs Island Lake" is widely used. The Kerr Reservoir is built and operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers .
location
The reservoir dam stands above Buggs Island in Mecklenburg County . In this county is also a large part of the reservoir, in the south it reaches close to the city of Henderson . A total of six counties have a more or less large share of the reservoir. In Virginia, in addition to Mecklenburg, these are Charlotte and Halifax Counties, in North Carolina the Counties Granville , Vance and Warren .
The reservoir is mainly fed by Roanoke and Dan River . This once flowed into the Roanoke River near Clarksville (Virginia) after the two rivers flowed parallel through a valley for about twelve kilometers. Its course still follows a county boundary today. As a result, a mile-long but only a few hundred meters wide strip of the northwestern John H. Kerr Reservoir belongs to Halifax County, while the lakeshore remains with Mecklenburg County. In the south, the flooded part of Nutbush Creek forms a large bay that belongs to Vance County.
John H. Kerr Dam
Construction work on the barrier structure began in March 1947 and lasted until early 1953. The hard granite underground near Buggs Island was chosen as the location for the dam. The John H. Kerr Dam consists of a concrete gravity dam that is flanked by lower earth dams on either side. The dam has a total length of 6716 m, of which the central concrete wall accounts for 876 m. This is up to 44 m high and contains 22 flood gates . The powerhouse of the plant is located below the dam.
A small auxiliary dam 15 km further southwest prevents the Iceland Creek valley from being flooded. The water from the Island Creek Reservoir created there has to be pumped up into Kerr Lake.
use
The two main functions of the John H. Kerr Reservoir are flood control and power generation . In addition, the reservoir with its approximately 1300 km long bank is a regional tourist destination.
The normal storage target is 91.4 m above sea level, the storage space is then 1.8 billion m³. A further 6.1 m water level is planned as a flood protection area. In extreme cases, the dam can store an additional 2.3 billion m³ of water. The reservoir covers at a level of 97.5 m above sea level. M. instead of normal 198 km² then 337 km². The highest water level was on April 29, 1987 with 97.4 m above sea level. M. achieved.
To generate electricity, there are seven main and two auxiliary turbines in the powerhouse directly below the dam. Together these have a maximum output of 206 MW and generate an average of 407 million kWh of electricity per year. The usable amount of water between 81.7 and 91.4 m above sea level is 1.27 billion m³. The reservoir of Lake Gaston begins just below the Kerr Dam .
Virginia's largest lake is also a popular destination for tourists. Almost the entire water is open to anglers and boatmen . There are several parks along the banks for visitors to enjoy, including Staunton River and Occoneechee State Parks in Virginia and Kerr Lake State Recreation Area in North Carolina.
Web links
- John H. Kerr Reservoir in the United States Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System
- John H. Kerr Dam and Reservoir, USACE (English)
- John H. Kerr Project, USACE, dam dates