|
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
|
 "
Watauga Lake 4th of July Boat Parade:
|
"Watauga Lake, nestled amongst the Appalachian Mountains and the Cherokee National Forest in northeastern Tennessee, enjoys the most stunningly beautiful lake and mountain views in the 'Volunteer State'. Started in 1942 and finally dammed on the last day of 1948, Watauga Lake is the TVA's highest-elevated reservoir in Tennessee. Surrounded by densely forested mountains in the "high country", Watauga Lake sits 1,959 feet above sea level at "full pool" (full summertime elevation)." |
The Butler Bridge, built in 1948, is the official end of the 4th of July Boat Parade. However, many boats continue back to their docks at Cove Ridge Marina, Mallard Cove Marina and as far away as the far end of the lake near North Carolina. |
"Watauga Lake, or Lake Watauga as it is sometimes called, is 16.3 miles long and covers 6,430 acres (10.05 square miles). Its maximum depth at full pool is estimated at 305 feet -- and 265 feet at the dam. According to the TVA's Reservoir Operations Study (completed in 2004), Watauga Lake boasts 104.9 miles of shoreline. Just 47 miles of shoreline are privately owned. Many of those 47 "private" miles are below the 100-year flood plain (1,975 feet above sea level) and can accommodate only temporary structures like RVs and campers. The other 58 miles of shoreline are public land. Most of those 58 are part of Cherokee National Forest and can never be developed, which will help Watauga Lake to remain the most beautiful and pristine lake in the TVA." |
At approximately 1960 feet above sea level, Watauga Lake is at the highest elevation of all TVA lakes. The dam is an earthen structure that is 330 feet high, 925 feet long, and 1275 feet thick at its base. The dam includes 350 million cubic yards of material. It took over 10 million man-hours of labor to create the lake and 1 man lost his life. |
Although the lake is enjoyed by many for boating, fishing and swimming, its original and primary purposes were for flood prevention and power generation. Links to references in this article and to sites related to the Watauga lake Boat Parade: |
