GENERAL INFO:
Thurmond holds the distinction of being the largest U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
project east of the Mississippi River. Construction of the dam began in early 1946 and
the dam was completed in 1954.
Some of the materials used to build the dam are land fill and over one million cubic
yards of concrete. Dam - completed in 1954 at a cost of $79 million and is 5,680 feet
long and 200 feet high
consisting of a concrete causeway flanked by earth embankments.
The 1,096-foot-long spillway section contains 23 gates that are 40 feet wide and 35
feet high.
The dam on the Savannah river is about 22 miles north west of Augusta and is more than
a mile long and 200 feet high. It holds back a lake that stretches 40 miles up the
Savannah River and 26 miles up the Little River. The lake covers 70,000 acres and has
nearly 1,200 miles of shoreline.
Thurmond Lake covers 71,000 acres at full pool of 330 feet msl, and has nearly 1,200
miles of shoreline with more than 100 islands jutting above the lake's surface.
The reservoir is operated for many uses, including flood control, power generation,
water quality, and aquatic ecology. electricity, and helps maintain navigation depth
on the ferment dams, generating electricity at each one.
Thurmond is Located on the Savannah River - 22 miles above Augusta, GA
Entire project comprises 137,000 acres of land and water
Dam impounds lake that stretches 40 miles up the Savannah River, and 26 miles up the
Little River.
Thurmond lake is one of the 10 most visited Corps lakes in the nation and serves about
eight million visitors a year. Around the lake, you will find six state parks, two
county parks, and numerous Corps and private campgrounds.
Thurmond Lake is one of the largest inland bodies of water in the South with its
mixed strands of pine trees and hardwoods that cover the reservoir's 1,200-mile
shoreline lending itself to a diversity of plant and animal types including the
American Bald Eagle!!!
