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Kentucky Lake

This article is about the lake in the United States. For the lake in Canada, see Kentucky Alleyne Provincial Park.
Kentucky Lake
Location of Kentucky Lake in Kentucky and Tennessee, USA.
Location of Kentucky Lake in Kentucky and Tennessee, USA.
Kentucky Lake
Location of Kentucky Lake in Kentucky and Tennessee, USA.
Location of Kentucky Lake in Kentucky and Tennessee, USA.
Kentucky Lake
Location of Kentucky Lake in Kentucky and Tennessee, USA.
Location of Kentucky Lake in Kentucky and Tennessee, USA.
Kentucky Lake
LocationKentucky / Tennessee
Coordinates37°00′47″N 88°16′12″W / 37.013°N 88.270°W / 37.013; -88.270
TypeReservoir
Basin countriesUnited States
Surface area160,309 acres (649 km2)
Max. depth75 ft (23 m)
Water volumeMaximum: 4,008,000 acre⋅ft (4.944 km3)
Surface elevation354 ft (108 m) [1]
Aerial view of Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. Kentucky Lake is on the left. The canal connecting Lake Barkley to Kentucky Lake is visible at left-center.

Kentucky Lake is a major navigable reservoir along the Tennessee River in Kentucky and Tennessee. It was created in 1944 by the Tennessee Valley Authority's impounding of the Tennessee River via Kentucky Dam for flood control and hydroelectric power.[2] The 160,309-acre (649 km2) lake is the largest artificial lake by surface area in the United States east of the Mississippi River, with 2,064 miles (3,322 km) of shoreline. Kentucky Lake has a flood storage capacity of 4,008,000 acre⋅ft (4.944 km3), more than 2.5 times the next largest lake in the TVA system.

It provides a source for hydro-electric power. Also, as one of the lakes alluded to by the name of Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area, it is a recreational destination of western Kentucky and Tennessee.

Recreation

The lake is a desirable fishing area. Records for the largest of three species of fish ever taken in Kentucky have been set at this lake: white bass (5 lb [2.3 kg]), Buffalo carp (55 lb [25 kg]), and yellow perch (1 lb 4 oz [0.57 kg]).[3] It is also the major attraction for two Kentucky state parks: Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park to the north and Kenlake State Resort Park to the west.[2]

Invasive species

Asian carp are a type of invasive species that have started to accumulate in the waterways throughout Kentucky. They pose a major threat to the environmental stability of the lake because of their competition with native fish species. Bigheaded carp were first reported in Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake in 2002. Their numbers have since increased greatly; they now can be found throughout both lakes and are exhibiting extremely fast growth.[4] Some restaurants in Kentucky and across the country have added carp to their menus, noting its clean taste, white meat, low mercury content, and affordable cost.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Kentucky Lake
  2. ^ a b Kleber, John E., ed. (1992). "Lakes". The Kentucky Encyclopedia. Associate editors: Thomas D. Clark, Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter. Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-1772-0.
  3. ^ "Kentucky State Record Fish List". Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. 2006-04-17. Archived from the original on 2007-02-10. Retrieved 2007-02-17.
  4. ^ Ridgway, Josey (2016). Sampling and population characteristics of Bigheaded Carp and Silver Carp in the Tennessee and Cumberland River systems.
  5. ^ Downs, Jere. "Asian carp leaps onto restaurant tables". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Kentucky Lake.
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