Carters Dam is an earthen embankment dam located south of Chatsworth in Murray County and west of Ellijay in northwestern Georgia, United States, that creates Carters Lake.

Description

The dam is 445 ft tall and is situated 26.8 mi above the mouth of the Coosawattee River. The drainage area is 376 sqmi. The dam took 15 years to build and was completed in 1977. The area of the primary flood control pool is 3880 acre. The top elevation of the dam is 1112.3 ft. The top width of the dam is 40 ft. The dam is constructed of rock and earth and is the tallest earthen dam east of the Mississippi River. The dam has a diversion tunnel that is 2407 ft. It is a horseshoe shape with a bottom width of 23 ft. The lake is the deepest manmade reservoir east of the Mississippi River and deepest lake in Georgia. The created lake is more than 450 ft deep and has 62 mi of shoreline without any private docks or other development.

Hydroelectric plant

Below the dam is a 1000 acre retention and re-regulation lake (Reregulation Reservoir). The hydroelectric plant is of the pumped storage type. That is, during off-peak hours the water from the retention lake is pumped back up to Carters Lake for use in generating power during the next time of peak demand. The dam's power station contains 2 × 140 MW Francis turbines and 2 × 160 MW Modified Francis pump turbines for used in pumped-storage (500MW). Electricity from the dam is marketed by the Southeastern Power Administration.