Kentucky

Kentucky Dam is 22 miles upstream from the confluence of the Tennessee River with Ohio. The dam is the longest in the TVA system, and the reservoir—which stretches for 184 miles across Kentucky and Tennessee—is the largest in the eastern U.S.

Kentucky Reservoir is home to many varieties of fish, including largemouth and smallmouth bass, catfish, bluegill, sauger, and crappie. Numerous boat docks and launching ramps dot the coves of Kentucky’s shoreline.

Located on Kentucky’s shores are the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, four state parks, the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge, numerous public access areas, and two state wildlife management areas. There are resorts and campsites, areas for swimming and picnicking, and a back-country undeveloped recreation area for off-road vehicles.

Water skiing, sailing, and windsurfing are popular here, as well as bicycling, horseback riding, hunting, and fishing.

TVA utilizes the reservoir’s strategic location and vast storage capacity to help reduce flood crests on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Kentucky Dam is also a major producer of hydroelectric power. It has a net dependable generating capability of 184 megawatts.

The filling of the Kentucky Reservoir in 1945 opened the Tennessee River to year-round navigation and linked the Tennessee Valley with the nation’s Inland Waterway System. Indeed, Kentucky Lock is the busiest in the eastern U.S.

Visitor Center

Learn about TVA history, the generating facility and the benefits of TVA’s activities to you. View maps of the Tennessee River and tributaries that allow us to provide power, support economic development and protect natural resources for the 10 million people we serve. You can also talk with TVA retirees about their service and ask questions about what it means to you.

Get hours, directions and more information for the visitor center.

Kentucky: Facts & Figures

• Construction of the Kentucky Dam began in 1938 and was completed in 1944.
• The dam is 206 feet high and 8,422 feet long.
• Kentucky Dam is a hydroelectric facility. It has five generating units with a summer net dependable capacity of 223 megawatts. Net dependable capacity is the amount of power a dam can produce on an average day, minus the electricity used by the dam itself.
• Kentucky Reservoir features 2,064 miles of cove-studded shoreline and about 160,300 acres of water surface.
• The reservoir drains the entire Tennessee Valley watershed, which covers an area of 40,900 square miles.
• Kentucky has a flood storage capacity of 4,008,000 acre-feet, more than 2.5 times the capacity of the next-largest reservoir in the TVA system.
• Kentucky helps reduce flood damage on six million acres of the lower Ohio and Mississippi rivers and reduces the frequency of flooding on another 4 million acres.
• To maintain the depth required for navigation, the water level in the reservoir is kept at a minimum winter elevation of 354 feet. The typical summer target level is 359 feet.
• Find Kentucky Dam at 640 Kentucky Dam Rd., Grand Rivers, Ky.

More Information on Kentucky Reservoir

Daily Lake Level

Reservoir Health Ratings

Water Trail Guide