Richard B. Russell Dam
| Richard B. Russell Dam | |
|---|---|
Richard B. Russell Dam | |
| Location | Abbeville County, South Carolina / Elbert County, Georgia, USA |
| Coordinates | 34°01′30″N 82°35′39″W / 34.02500°N 82.59417°W |
| Construction began | 1974 |
| Opening date | 1985 |
| Construction cost | $626 million USD |
| Operator(s) | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment, concrete-gravity |
| Impounds | Savannah River |
| Height | 210 ft (64 m) (thalweg) |
| Length | .98 mi (1.58 km) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Richard B. Russell Lake |
| Catchment area | 2,890 sq mi (7,500 km2) |
| Surface area | 26,650 acres (10,780 ha) |
| Power Station | |
| Type | Pumped-storage |
| Turbines | 8 total: 4 x 75 MW (101,000 hp), 4 x 75 MW reversible |
| Installed capacity | 600 MW (800,000 hp) |
| Annual generation | 465.5 GWh (1,676 TJ) |
Richard B. Russell Dam is a concrete-gravity and embankment dam located on the Savannah River at the border of South Carolina and Georgia, creating Richard B. Russell Lake. The dam was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1974 and 1985 for the purposes of flood control, hydroelectricity, recreation, additional stream flow regulation, water supply, and fish and wildlife management. The concrete structure of the dam spans 1,904 feet (580 m) and rises 210 feet (64 m) above the riverbed, housing a hydro-power plant with an installed 600 megawatts (800,000 hp) capacity. The Richard B. Russell Dam is the final large dam completed by the U.S. Army Corps in the Savannah River Basin and lies 30 miles downstream from the Hartwell Dam (1962) and 37 miles (60 km) upstream from the J. Strom Thurmond Dam (1954).