Dale Hollow Reservoir
Encyclopedia
The Dale Hollow Reservoir is a reservoir
situated on the Kentucky
/Tennessee
border. The lake is formed by the damming of the Obey River
, 7.3 miles (12 km) above its juncture with the Cumberland River
at river mile
380. Portions of the lake also cover the Wolf River
. It is also the site of Dale Hollow Lake State Park
on the north (Kentucky) side.
and Clinton
. The project consists of 27,700 acres (112 km²) of water and 24,842 acres (101 km²) of surrounding land.
. Settling originally in Willow Grove, Mr. Dale bought his first 449 acres (1.8 km²) of land nearby in 1808. The farm eventually grew into a plantation known as Dale Hollow; he and his descendants lived there until the dam was started in 1942. The waters of the lake would ultimately cover both the farm and Willow Grove, “the town that drowned”.
Dale Hollow Dam and Lake was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1938 and the River and Harbor Act of 1946. The project was completed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers
in 1943, making the lake the oldest artificial lake in Kentucky. Hydroelectric
power generating units were added in 1948, 1949 and 1953. The project was designed by the Corps of Engineers
and built under their supervision by private contractors. The hydroelectric generators
of Dale Hollow Dam are used to supply power to the surrounding countryside. The dam, powerplant and reservoir are currently operated by the Nashville
District of the Corps.
. Wakeboarding and tubing are two more water sports that can be seen regularly. The main recreational use is fishing
.
Dale Hollow is well-known as a prime location for smallmouth bass
fishing, currently holding the world record
for the largest such fish ever taken (11 lb., 15 oz). It is the lake that is linked with the name Billy Westmorland , famed smallmouth angler of Celina, Tennessee. The lake and surrounding rivers, the Cumberland River
and the Obey River
also contain other species such as largemouth bass
, crappie
, muskellunge
, walleye
, catfish
, gar
, and trout
.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
and Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife
each maintain jurisdiction over the lake's waters within their respective states. There is a reciprocal fishing agreement between the agencies, so recreational fisherman may be licensed by either state in order to fish in the reciprocal zone. Fishermen in areas of the lake outside the zone must be licensed by the governing agency.
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
situated on the Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
/Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
border. The lake is formed by the damming of the Obey River
Obey River
The Obey River is a tributary of the Cumberland River in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It joins the Cumberland River near the town of Celina, which is generally considered to be the Cumberland's head of navigation. Via the Cumberland and Ohio rivers, the Obey River is part of the Mississippi River...
, 7.3 miles (12 km) above its juncture with the Cumberland River
Cumberland River
The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...
at river mile
River mile
In the United States, a River mile is a measure of distance in miles along a river from its mouth. River mile numbers begin at zero and increase further upstream. The corresponding metric unit using kilometers is the River kilometer...
380. Portions of the lake also cover the Wolf River
Wolf River (Middle Tennessee)
The Wolf River is a river in the U.S. states of Tennessee and Kentucky that rises at the base of the Cumberland Plateau in Fentress County, Tennessee and flows westward for several miles before emptying into the Obey River at the Dale Hollow Reservoir. The river is part of the Cumberland River...
. It is also the site of Dale Hollow Lake State Park
Dale Hollow Lake State Park
Dale Hollow Lake State Park is a Kentucky state park comprising on the shore of Dale Hollow Reservoir.-External links:* official website* * tourism website...
on the north (Kentucky) side.
Location
Dale Hollow Reservoir lies mainly in northern Tennessee, where it covers portions of Clay, Pickett, and Overton Counties. Small arms of the lake also extend northward into the Kentucky counties of CumberlandCumberland County, Kentucky
Cumberland County is a county located in the state of Kentucky in the United States. It was formed in 1799. As of 2000, the population was 7,147. Its county seat is Burkesville, Kentucky...
and Clinton
Clinton County, Kentucky
Clinton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1836. As of 2000, the population was 9,634. Its name is in honor of the seventh Governor of New York State, DeWitt Clinton. Its county seat is Albany, Kentucky, and it is a prohibition or dry county...
. The project consists of 27,700 acres (112 km²) of water and 24,842 acres (101 km²) of surrounding land.
History
The lake takes its name from William Dale, a government surveyor and veteran of the War of 1812War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. Settling originally in Willow Grove, Mr. Dale bought his first 449 acres (1.8 km²) of land nearby in 1808. The farm eventually grew into a plantation known as Dale Hollow; he and his descendants lived there until the dam was started in 1942. The waters of the lake would ultimately cover both the farm and Willow Grove, “the town that drowned”.
Dale Hollow Dam and Lake was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1938 and the River and Harbor Act of 1946. The project was completed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
in 1943, making the lake the oldest artificial lake in Kentucky. Hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
power generating units were added in 1948, 1949 and 1953. The project was designed by the Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
and built under their supervision by private contractors. The hydroelectric generators
Electrical generator
In electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is analogous to a water pump, which causes water to flow...
of Dale Hollow Dam are used to supply power to the surrounding countryside. The dam, powerplant and reservoir are currently operated by the Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
District of the Corps.
Recreation
The lake is also used recreationally. Water sports are moderately popular, especially water skiingWater skiing
thumb|right|A slalom skier making a turn on a slalom waterski.Waterskiing is a sport where an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation on a body of water, skimming the surface.-History:...
. Wakeboarding and tubing are two more water sports that can be seen regularly. The main recreational use is fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
.
Dale Hollow is well-known as a prime location for smallmouth bass
Smallmouth bass
The smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus...
fishing, currently holding the world record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
for the largest such fish ever taken (11 lb., 15 oz). It is the lake that is linked with the name Billy Westmorland , famed smallmouth angler of Celina, Tennessee. The lake and surrounding rivers, the Cumberland River
Cumberland River
The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...
and the Obey River
Obey River
The Obey River is a tributary of the Cumberland River in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It joins the Cumberland River near the town of Celina, which is generally considered to be the Cumberland's head of navigation. Via the Cumberland and Ohio rivers, the Obey River is part of the Mississippi River...
also contain other species such as largemouth bass
Largemouth bass
The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
, crappie
Crappie
Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...
, muskellunge
Muskellunge
A muskellunge , also known as a muskelunge, muscallonge, milliganong, or maskinonge , is a large, relatively uncommon freshwater fish of North America. Muskellunge are the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae...
, walleye
Walleye
Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...
, catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
, gar
Gar
In American English the name gar is strictly applied to members of the Lepisosteidae, a family including seven living species of fish in two genera that inhabit fresh, brackish, and occasionally marine, waters of eastern North America, Central America, and the Caribbean islands.-Etymology:In...
, and trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is an independent state agency of the state of Tennessee with the mission of managing the state's fish and wildlife and their habitats, as well as responsibility for all wildlife-related law enforcement activities...
and Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife
Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, an agency of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, is responsible for the conservation of fish and wildlife resources and for boating projects in the state. A commissioner appointed by the Fish and Wildlife Commission heads the...
each maintain jurisdiction over the lake's waters within their respective states. There is a reciprocal fishing agreement between the agencies, so recreational fisherman may be licensed by either state in order to fish in the reciprocal zone. Fishermen in areas of the lake outside the zone must be licensed by the governing agency.