Cordell Hull Dam

Cordell Hull DamCordell Hull Lake is located on the Cumberland River in Smith, Jackson, and Clay counties of Tennessee.  The dam is located at river mile 313.5, about five miles upstream of the city of Carthage, Tenn.  The construction took place across 10 years completion in 1973.  The construction was preformed by private contractors.

Rising 87 feet above the streambed, the combination earth fill and concrete-gravity dam is 1,306 feet long with a hydroelectric power generating plant.  At normal summer pool (elevation 504.00) the 72-mile long lake with its 381 miles of shoreline contains 11,960 surface areas of water.  Total storage capacity at maximum pool (Elevation 508.00) is 13,920 acres.  Average annual output is 350 million kilowatt hours serving the cities of Gallatin, Carthage, and Cookeville. 

It takes approximately 30 minutes to lock a boat through the 84 foot wide by 400 foot long lock which contains approximately 17 million gallons of water. Cordell Hull Lake has a total of 38,633 acres of land and water.

 

 

Dam

 

Type

Concrete-gravity and earthfill

Dimensions:

 

   Maximum height, feet

93

   Above Streambed

87

Length, feet:

 

   Powerhouse section

310

   Spillway section

291

   Lock Section             

168

   Earth Embankment

468

   Total Structures

1,306

 
 

 

Reservoir

 

Operating levels at dam:

 

   Maximum surcharge pool (area 13,920 acres)

508.0

Normal operation:

 

   Full pool (area 11,900 acres)

504.0

   Minimum pool (area 9,820 acres)

499.0

Length:

 

   Backwater to Celina, TN

67.3 miles

Shoreline length:          

 

   At 504.0

381 miles

 

 

Lock Dimensions:

 

   Chamber dimensions, feet

84 X 400

   Lift at normal pool, feet

53

   Minimum filling time

11 minutes 

   Gallons

17 million

   

Spillway:

 

   Net width opening, feet

225

   Discharge capacity, cubic feet per second

175,000

 

 

Crest Gates:

 

   Number and Type

5, Tainer

   Size, width and height, feet

45 X 41

Hydropower

Power Plant:

 

   Generator Capacity:   3 units @33,333 kW

100,000 kW

   Estimated average annual energy output, kW

350,000,000