Hiwassee Lake
{{Short description|Water reservoir in North Carolina, US}}
{{Infobox body of water
| name = Hiwassee Lake
| image = Hiwassee Lake in North Carolina is impounded by Hiwassee Dam.jpg
| caption = Hiwassee Lake is impounded by Hiwassee Dam
| image_bathymetry =
| caption_bathymetry =
| location = United States
| inflow =
| outflow =
| catchment =
| basin_countries =
| length = {{convert|22|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| width =
| area = {{convert|9.3|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}}
| depth =
| max-depth =
| volume = {{convert|434000|acre feet|km3|abbr=on}} peak {{convert|639590|acre feet|km3|abbr=on}}
| residence_time =
| shore = {{convert|180|mi|abbr=on}}
| elevation = {{convert|458|m|abbr=on|order=flip}}{{gnis|1012084}}
| islands =
| cities = Murphy
| group =
| coords = {{coord|35.160|-84.165|region:US-NC_type:waterbody|display=title,inline}}
| lake_type =
| islands_category =
| pushpin_map = North Carolina#USA
| pushpin_label_position =
| pushpin_map_alt = Location of Hiwassee Lake in North Carolina, USA.
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}}
Hiwassee Lake is a man-made reservoir in Cherokee County, North Carolina. It lies along the Hiwassee River created by the Hiwassee Dam which finished construction in 1940. Hiwassee Lake stretches along the river for approximately {{convert|22|mi|km}} to the town of Murphy, North Carolina. It has {{convert|180|mi|km}} of shoreline, a storage capacity of {{convert|434000|acre feet|dam3|abbr=on}}, and {{convert|205590|acre feet|dam3|abbr=on}} of flood storage.
Hiwassee Lake is {{convert|6000|acre|ha}}. Its tailwaters are part of Apalachia Lake.Tennessee Valley Authority, The Hiwassee Project: A Comprehensive Report on the Planning, Design, Construction, and Initial Operations of the Hiwassee Project (Hiwassee Valley Projects Volume 1), Technical Report No. 5 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1946), pp. 1-8, 39-40, 211, 230, 242, 248.
The reservoir's operating level varies by roughly {{convert|38|ft|m}} in a typical year.Tennessee Valley Authority, [https://web.archive.org/web/20021121160900/http://www.tva.com/sites/hiwassee.htm Hiwassee Reservoir]. Retrieved: 25 January 2009. The southwestern arm of the reservoir over Persimmon Creek is known as Persimmon Lake. It reaches to a smaller dam which contains Cherokee Lake.{{Cite news |last=Foster |first=Sarah |date=December 2023 |title=Bear Paw: The Community that Built Hiwassee Lake |work=Celebrating Our Communities of Cherokee County, Volume 1 |publisher=Cherokee Scout |page=17}} The Nottely River also flows into Hiwassee Lake from North Georgia.
History
Hiwassee Lake is named after the Hiwassee River. Two 18th century Cherokee towns along the river were named Hiwassee.James Mooney, Myths of the Cherokee and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokee (Nashville, Tenn.: C and R Elder, 1972), p. 512. The river's name comes from the Cherokee word for large meadow, or savanna.
The Tennessee Valley Authority started work creating Hiwassee Lake in 1936. The reservoir was completed in 1940. A small community, Hiwassee Village, developed on the south side of the reservoir.
The U.S. Navy tested torpedoes in Hiwassee Lake in 1942 during World War II. The lake was chosen due to its isolation and its depth – more than {{Convert|250|ft|m}} in places. The Navy Bureau of Ordnance installed a launcher, net, and underwater camera. Torpedoes sometimes landed in nearby farmland as the net didn't always work.
References
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