Barkley Canal- One unique feature of the Barkley project is the interconnecting canal between Lake Barkley on the Cumberland River and Kentucky Lake on the Tennessee River.  The Cumberland River entrance is approximately 2.2 river miles above Barkley Dam with the Tennessee River entrance located about 2.9 miles upstream from Kentucky Dam.  The canal, with a bottom width of 400 feet and a length of 1.75 miles, provides a navigable channel for both commerce and recreation craft moving on the two waterways.  Both reservoirs are operated as a unit for flood control and the production of hydroelectric power.

Barkley Lock- The navigation lock is located on the left bank of the main dam structure.  The lock was opened to navigation in July of 1964 and has clear chamber dimensions of 800’ x 110’ x 57’.   The gravity fill and empty system, exchanges 37,500,000 gallons of water per lockage.  The lock is operated 24 hours per day with 1 operator per shift.

Barkley Power Plant- The Barkley Power Plant started operation in early 1966 when the first of its four units were placed on line.  Each of Barkley’s four generators is capable of producing 32,500-kilowatt hours.  As of September 1992 Barkley’s Power Plant had saved the use of over 46 million barrels of oil valued in excess of $920 million, by generating electricity instead.

Since being placed in service the four-hydropower units have performed far above industry average with an availability rate of 96.9%.  The high availability rate is a testimonial to the excellent maintenance and inspection programs followed by Power Plant personnel.