The Tennessee Valley area used to be known for the disastrous floods it could have in the winter and spring months in the Tennessee valley area. The Kentucky Dam went under construction in 1938 and then they began filling up the reservoir that was to create Kentucky Lake. Kentucky Lake is the largest manmade lake in the eastern United States. At the time of its construction the dam cost around 118 million dollars to build and the reservoir itself encompasses about 160,000 acres.

One of the main objectives of the dam and reservoir was to help control the erratic flooding that plagued the Tennessee Valley. It helped valuable planting soil from being eroded and helped farmers to produce more and better crops without the threat of floods. The dam works by helping to lower flood crests on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers by temporarily cutting off flow to the Tennessee River.

Before the dam was created it was difficult for vessels to try and navigate down the Tennessee River. Now there are many navigable lakes down stream that begin at Kentucky Lake. This makes water travel of barges and tugboats and other water vehicles easier to get where they want to go with the controlled flooding that was done.

The Kentucky Dam also has five turbine generators that produce a great deal of electricity in this area as well as producing electricity at a dozen more TVA dams that are further downstream. This electricity is a huge source of power in this region.

Despite the numbers of homes and properties that had to be bought in order to build the dam and create Kentucky Lake, it is a valuable source of tourism for the region today. Boaters, skiers, swimmers, and fisherman come from miles around to enjoy the various parks, marinas, and resorts along the Lake and Tennessee River. It brings in dollars for the region every year that helps the economy.

This just goes to show that all flooding is not bad. When it is manmade and created for the better good of many people in an area, it can create power, tourism, and jobs. You might not ever think pf flooding in a good way, but this proves it can be sometimes. The dam actually helps to prevent the natural flooding that would likely still be occurring until this day in the Tennessee Valley if the dam and reservoir had not been built.