Laurel River Lake

Infobox_lake
lake_name = Laurel River Lake
image_lake = USACE Laurel River Dam and Lake.jpg
caption_lake = Laurel River Dam and Lake
image_bathymetry =
caption_bathymetry =
location = Kentucky
coords = coord|36|57|N|84|16|W|type:waterbody_region:US-KY|display=inline,title
type = Reservoir
inflow =
outflow =
catchment =
basin_countries = United States
length = 19 mi (30 km)
width =
area = 5,600 acres (23 km²)
depth = 65 ft (20 m)
max-depth = ca. 280 ft (85 m)
volume = convert|435000|acre.ft|km3|abbr=on|lk=on
residence_time =
shore = 206 mi (332 km)
elevation = 1,015 ft (209 m)
islands =
cities =

Laurel River Lake, located west of Corbin, Kentucky, in the USA, is an artificial lake built in 1977 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Laurel River, a tributary of the Cumberland River, in the Daniel Boone National Forest. The lake covers parts of Laurel and Whitley counties.cite book |editor=Kleber, John E. |others=Associate editors: Thomas D. Clark, Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter |title="The Kentucky Encyclopedia" |year=1992 |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |location=Lexington, Kentucky |isbn=0813117720 |chapter=Lakes]

The 282 foot (86 m) high dam was built between 1964 and 1974. It is a combination earth and rock-fill dam. Hydropower production began in 1977. As of 2006, it produced an average annual energy of 67 gigawatt hours of hydroelectricity.

The Army Corps of Engineers and the Forest Service cooperate on developing recreational facilities around the reservoir. Today most of the lake is managed by the Forest Service as part of Daniel Boone National Forest. The Army Corps of Engineers manages the operation of the dam itself, and runs recreational facilities at the dam.

Laurel River Lake's drainage area is 282 square miles (730 km²). The area of the lake changes based on how full it is, but it is about 19 miles (31 km) long, with 206 miles (332 km) of shoreline. Its area ranges from about 5,600 to 6,060 acres (23 to 25 km²), with a maximum flood-control size of 6,650 acres (27 km²). The reservoir's storage capacity (volume) also changes, but is about 435,000 acre feet (536,000,000 m³).

References

External links

* [http://www.laurelriverlake.com Laurel River Lake Web Site]
* [http://corpslakes.usace.army.mil/visitors/projects.cfm?Id=H309550 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Laurel River Lake]
* [http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/op/lau/rec/ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Laurel River Lake]