Blue Ridge Dam

Blue Ridge Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Toccoa River in Fannin County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the uppermost of four dams on the Toccoa/Ocoee River owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority. The dam impounds the 3300acre Blue Ridge Lake on the southwestern fringe of the Blue Ridge Mountains.LocationBlue Ridge Dam is located 51mi upstream from the mouth of the Toccoa/Ocoee River, near the point where the states of Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina meet. The Toccoa River winds its way northwestward from the dam, crossing into Tennessee (where it becomes the Ocoee River) roughly 10mi downstream en route to the Ocoee dams on the lower part of the river. Blue Ridge Dam is 23mi upstream from Ocoee Dam No. 3. The Chattahoochee National Forest surrounds Blue Ridge Dam and its reservoir, and the city of Blue Ridge, Georgia is located a few miles west of the dam. U.S. Route 76 crosses a bridge just downstream from Blue Ridge Dam.CapacityBlue Ridge Dam is a hydraulic earth-fill type dam 167ft high and 1000ft long, and has a generating capacity of 22 megawatts. The dam's gate-controlled saddle spillway— which is separated from the main dam by a small hill— can discharge up to 55000cuft of water per second. The dam's powerhouse utilizes a 192ft concrete intake tower, and a 14ft-diameter steel penstock 1050ft long that conveys water from the tower to the primary turbine. A 180ft surge tank relieves pressure brought about by rapid gate closures.