The Dix Dam is a dam on the Dix River located between Mercer and Garrard County, Kentucky. It was constructed to generate hydroelectricity and prevent flooding of the Kentucky River but is better known for creating Herrington Lake.

History

Dix Dam was built to create a reservoir for operating a hydroelectric generating station. The dam also helped mitigate flooding on the Kentucky River by holding water in Herrington Lake during critical periods. Construction began in the fall of 1923, impoundment of water began on March 17, 1925, and the project was completed and power generation began in October 1927. The project cost more than US $7 million. Dix Dam was constructed by Kentucky Utilities, a private corporation prior to the Great Depression. Consequently, Kentucky Utilities owns the land beneath Herrington Lake up to the maximum possible lake level of 760 ft above sea level. It also owns Dix Dam. When Dix Dam was built, it was the largest rock filled dam in the world. The top of the dam is 287 ft above the riverbed and 1087 ft across and is 24 ft wide at the top and 750 ft wide at its base. Herrington Lake is the deepest lake in Kentucky. It is 35 mi long, up to 1200 ft wide, covers 2335 acre and has 325 mi of shoreline. It is deepest near the Dix Dam with water depth of 249 ft and has a mean depth of 78 ft. The estimated capacity of the lake is 175000000000 USgal. The hydroelectric generating station was originally designed to produce 30 megawatts of power. Over time other generating plants were constructed near the dam and the facility was named E. W. Brown Generating Station. A coal-fired generator was added to the Brown Plant in 1957. More recently, a combustion turbine generating facility was added with six turbine units - four more are planned. They are fueled by either natural gas or fuel oil. Kentucky Utilities' systems control center has been located inside the Dix Dam plant since the 1920s. In 1954, they built a new control center near the dam. Subsequently, they have modernized and computerized the control center. In 1991, Kentucky Utilities constructed a fish ladder in the Dix River near the dam as part of the Aquatic Habitat Enhancement Project, with the aim of protecting and increasing the trout population in the Dix River.

Current status

The original hydroelectric plant is now used mainly when heavy rainfall results in above normal lake elevation. The plant was overhauled in 2010 and now produces up to 33 megawatts of power with all three units on. The three coal-fired generators can produce 700 megawatts of electricity, more than one-fifth of KU's total capacity. An average of 15000000 ST of coal is burned annually at Brown Station. Four of the combustion turbine units can deliver 110 megawatts each; the other two can produce 164 megawatts each. During periods of high demand, the combustion turbines can be started and come to full load in just 30 minutes.