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Fontana Dam, North Carolina
Fontana Dam on the Little Tennessee River in North Carolina.
Open in BirdTrout35.452599, -83.804773 · Graham County · NID NC00298. Tap the map to open this water in the live app.
What the runs do here
Little Tennessee River carries no anadromous run on our corridor map, so this page makes no claim about salmon or steelhead at this dam. What it sits on is coldwater — resident trout water — and the section below says which classification says so.
The structure
- Owner
- TVA Federal
- Purpose
- Flood Risk Reduction, Navigation, Recreation, Hydroelectric, Water Supply
- Completed
- 1944 · modified 1973E;1973S;1976S;1983S;1999E;1999S;2000S;2003H;2019S;2021S
- Type
- Concrete
- Height
- 480 ft
- Length
- 2365 ft
- Spillway
- Controlled, 140 ft wide
- Storage
- 1,552,689 acre-ft · 10,290 acre pool
- Drainage
- 1,571 sq mi
- Condition
- Not Available · High hazard potential
From the National Inventory of Dams (USACE). Hazard potential is a downstream-consequence classification, not a statement about the structure's condition.
The water above and below
- Walker Branch 0.61 mi from the dam · Wild Trout Waters · wild (NCWRC)
- Gold Branch 0.65 mi from the dam · Wild Trout Waters · wild (NCWRC)
- Panel Branch 0.66 mi from the dam · Wild Trout Waters · wild (NCWRC)
- Welch Cove Branch 0.77 mi from the dam · Wild Trout Waters · wild (NCWRC)
Coldwater designation is the state's own classification. A dam sits on one river and this list is every designated reach within a mile and a half of it, so a tributary mouth shows up here too.
Water right now
| Gauge | Distance | Temp | Flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheoah River Nr Bearpen Gap Nr Tapoco, Nc | 6.5 mi | 72.1 °F | 241 cfs |
Live from USGS. A gauge miles away is a gauge miles away — the distance column is there so you can discount it. A hydro dam's releases move the flow below it on a schedule the gauge sees and this page does not.
Getting to it
- Lewellyn Branch 0.8 mi · boat launch · Cheoah Lake
- Lewellyn Branch 0.8 mi · walk in · Cheoah Lake
- Cable Cove 3.4 mi · boat launch · Fontana Lake
- Cheoah Point 6.5 mi · boat launch · Lake Santeetlah
Public access sites near the dam, straight-line distance. A dam itself is private property unless its owner says otherwise; these are the places the state lists as open.
Fly shops nearby
- NOC Outfitter's Store 14.6 mi · Bryson City · +18284887230
- Carolina Outfitters 15.3 mi
- GSM Outfitters 20.9 mi · Sevierville
- Hurshel's Outfitters 27.7 mi
- Uncle Lem's Outfitters 27.8 mi · Pigeon Forge · +18653661455