Lake Norman

Lake Norman, created between 1959 and 1964 as part of the construction of the Cowans Ford Dam by Duke Energy, is the largest man-made body of fresh water located in North Carolina.General InformationLake Norman is fed by the Catawba River, and drains into Mountain Island Lake to the south. It was named after former Duke Power president Norman Atwater Cocke. Lake Norman is sometimes referred to as the "inland sea" of North Carolina; it offers 520mi of shoreline and a surface area of more than 50sqmi. Full pond at Lake Norman is 760ft above mean sea level. Interstate 77 and North Carolina Highway 150 cross Lake Norman at different points. Lake Norman ranks as the largest man-made lake in the state of North Carolina and was created in 1963.Lake Norman provides electricity to the Piedmont region of the Carolinas. It powers the generators at the hydroelectric station at Cowans Ford Dam, is used by the coal-fired Marshall Steam Station, and by McGuire Nuclear Station to cool the reactors whilst generating the steam that drives their turbines. The lake supplies water to Lincoln County, Catawba County, Iredell County, Mooresville, Charlotte, and other towns in Mecklenburg County, particularly Cornelius, Davidson and Huntersville.