Buford Dam

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Coordinates: 34°09′37″N 84°04′26″W / 34.16028°N 84.07389°W / 34.16028; -84.07389
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Buford Dam
GWh

Buford Dam is a dam in Buford, Georgia which is located at the southern end of Lake Lanier,[4] a reservoir formed by the construction of the dam in 1956. The dam itself is managed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

The dam is made of earth and concrete,[5] supplemented by three saddle dikes,[1] and was built to provide a water source for the Atlanta area, power homes, and prevent flooding of the Chattahoochee River.[6][7]

Electricity from the dam is marketed by the Southeastern Power Administration.[8]

Construction

Congress authorized construction of the dam in 1946,[9] and in 1949 the federal government gave the State of Georgia $750,000 (equivalent to $9,497,925 in 2024[10]) towards the building of the dam and accompanying powerhouse.[5]

On March 1, 1950, a groundbreaking ceremony was held, which included dignitaries such as Atlanta mayor William B. Hartsfield.[6][9] The United States Army Corps of Engineers oversaw the construction of the dam.[6]

During construction, land was bought in the area that would become the reservoir. Homes, churches, graveyards, and all other structures that would float were removed or burned.[6] Many residents in the reservoir area fought the buying of their homes with unsuccessful civil lawsuits.[6]

The powerhouse required crews to use dynamite to blast a U-shaped space through granite rock structures to hollow out an area for the powerhouse and release gates.[5] During the construction of the dam, Johnnie Callahan died during a rockslide when cutting an intake tunnel into the face of the granite rock wall.[11]

On February 1, 1956, the dam was completed when the sluice gates were closed and Lake Lanier began to fill.[12] Unit 2 began operation on June 20, 1957, Unit 3 on July 26, 1957, and Unit 1 on October 10, 1957.[13] The dam was dedicated on October 9, 1957.[9] The power plant went into full-scale operation in July 1958,[13] and the lake reached its intended level on August 1 of that year.[14]

Operation

The intake structure

When water is released from the dam's turbines, several sirens sound as well as an AM warning broadcast.[5]

The dam also has a 13.25 ft (4.04 m) diameter sluice which can be used to allow water to bypass the turbines.[1]

Downriver from the dam is a trout breeding hatchery, which is one of the southernmost hatcheries for trout, due to the cool temperature of the water that the dam releases.[5]

Powerhouse

The powerhouse at the dam has three generators: the main generator, a small 7.5 megawatt generator which runs constantly,[15] and two 60 megawatt generators that run twice daily during times of peak electricity demand.[9] The powerhouse provides 250 GWh (900 TJ) of electricity annually to the metro Atlanta area.[16] Control of the Buford Dam generators is done remotely from Carters Dam near Ellijay, Georgia via a microwave signal.[5][9] The power generated is delivered to Georgia Power.[1]

The powerhouse is cooled by the temperature of the water running through the dam, which is approximately 52 °F (11 °C) year-round.[5]

In 2002, the US Army Corps of Engineers spent $8.5 million to provide upgrades to the powerhouse.[17]

Goats

Because the earthen slopes on the outer side of the dam exceed 40%

coyotes.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b c d United States. Army. Corps of Engineers (1975). Buford Dam and Lake Sidney Lanier Flood Control, Navigation, Power: Environmental Impact Statement (Report). Archived from the original on September 7, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Buford Dam – Chattahoochee River, Georgia – Pertinent Data". janandpat.net. Archived from the original on April 26, 2017. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  3. ^ "Hydropower Facilities". United States Army Corps of Engineers. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  4. ^ "Buford Dam Park on Lake Lanier". September 23, 2019. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Cook, Chelsea (August 13, 2010). "Buford Dam: A unique little powerhouse". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d e Kerns, Sabrina (September 8, 2020). "Below the surface: How Lake Lanier came to be". Forsyth County News. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  7. ISBN 9780788126987. Archived
    from the original on September 7, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  8. ^ "Generation – Southeastern Power Administration". Energy.gov. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Gill, Jeff (September 5, 2009). "Inside Buford Dam, Lake Laniers powerhouse". The Gainesville Times. Archived from the original on September 7, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  10. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  11. ^ Hembree, Brandon (February 18, 2021). "History: Remembering a Buford Dam hero's contributions to Georgia". North Gwinnett Voice. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  12. ^ Coggin, Dan (February 2, 1956). "Buford Dam Gates Shut To Form Lake Lanier on Poet's Loved River". The Atlanta Constitution. pp. 1, 5. Retrieved December 3, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b Tetra Tech (October 2015). Draft Environmental Impact Statement: Update of the Water Control Manual for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia and a Water Supply Storage Assessment (PDF) (Report). U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  14. ^ "Lake Lanier history: Completion of Buford Dam meant reservoir could fill". North Gwinnett Voice. October 17, 2021. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  15. ^ "Buford Dam – Lake Lanier". LakeLanier.com. July 25, 2013. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  16. ^ "Buford Dam (U.S. National Park Service)". National Park Service. February 4, 2021. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  17. ^ "Lake Lanier history: Crews complete structures that would become Buford Dam". North Gwinnett Voice. September 21, 2021. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  18. ^
    Patch.com. Archived
    from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
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