Hales Bar Dam
Encyclopedia
Hales Bar Dam was a hydroelectric dam once located on the Tennessee River
in Marion County, Tennessee
, USA. The Chattanooga and Tennessee River Power Company
began building the dam in 1905 and completed it in 1913, making Hales Bar one of the first major multipurpose dams and one of the first major dams to be built across a navigable channel in the United States. In 1939, the Tennessee Valley Authority
assumed control of Hales Bar Dam after purchasing TEPCO's assets. TVA spent two decades trying to fix a leakage problem that had plagued Hales Bar since its construction, but after continued leakage, and after it was determined that expanding the dam's navigation lock
would be too expensive, TVA decided to replace the dam by building Nickajack Dam
6 miles (9.7 km) downstream in 1968.
. The dam's reservoir extended up the river through the gorge all the way to Chattanooga
, and had 162 miles (260.7 km) of shoreline. Before the construction of Hales Bar, this was a particularly unpredictable and dangerous section of the river, with numerous navigation obstacles. Downstream from the dam site, the river begins to steady as it enters the hills and flatlands near Guntersville
.
Hales Bar Dam was 113 feet (34.4 m) high and 2315 feet (705.6 m) long, and its spillway had a combined discharge capacity of 224000 cuft/s. After improvements by TVA in 1949, the dam had a generating capacity of 99,700 kilowatts. The dam's lock, which went into operation on November 1, 1913, was 60 feet (18.3 m) by 260 feet (79.2 m), and its 41 feet (12.5 m) lift was the highest in the world at that time.
and the Elk River Shoals further downstream, the Tennessee River Gorge had long been one of the major impediments to river navigation in the upper Tennessee Valley. While various 19th-century canal projects had minor success in extending navigation across the shoals, the Tennessee River Gorge remained largely untamed. In 1898, several Chattanooga business interests formed the Tennessee River Improvement Association to lobby for efforts to extend year-round navigation to Chattanooga, and around 1900, Major Dan C. Kingman of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers drafted a design for a dam that would flood the Tennessee River Gorge and remove the swift current and various hazards that had long prevented large-scale navigation through this stretch of the river. In 1904, Kingman's friend, Josephus Conn Guild, offered to build the dam with private funding in exchange for the rights to the dam's hydroelectric power. Congress passed the enabling legislation on April 27, 1904, and with funding from Chattanooga entrepreneur Charles E. James and New York financier Anthony Brady, Guild formed the Chattanooga and Tennessee River Power Company to oversee the project.
Work on Hales Bar Dam began in October 1905. Two self-contained communities, Guild (now Haletown
) and Ladds, were built to house the thousands of construction workers needed to build the dam. The dam was originally slated for completion in 1909, but numerous difficulties brought about primarily by the soft bedrock upon which the dam was built continuously stalled construction, and by 1910, only the lock and powerhouse had been completed. Engineers finally began to make progress after employing the use of pressure grouting and concrete caisson
s— the first use of either in a major dam construction project— and Hales Bar Dam was finished on November 11, 1913. Leaks began to appear almost immediately after completion, however. In 1919, engineers attempted to minimize the leakage by pumping hot asphalt into the dam's foundation. This was temporarily successful, but by 1931, a study showed the dam was leaking at a rate of 1000 cuft/s.
, who was a fierce opponent of TVA. With the help of attorney Wendell Wilkie, TEPCO challenged the constitutionality of the TVA Act in federal court. In 1939, however, the U.S. Supreme Court
handed down its decision in Tennessee Electric Power Company v. TVA in which they upheld the TVA Act, and a few months later, TEPCO was forced to sell most of its assets, including Hales Bar Dam, to TVA for $78 million.
After gaining control of Hales Bar Dam in 1939, TVA carried out extensive repair work on the dam's foundation that by 1943 had succeeded in halting the dam's leakage. In 1949, TVA increased the dam's generating capacity and equipped the spillway with radial gates that helped extend the Hales Bar Reservoir's navigation channel all the way to the base of Chickamauga Dam
. In the late 1950s, however, boils began to appear in the water below Hales Bar Dam, and an investigation showed the dam was again leaking, this time at an alarming 2000 cuft/s. Dye tests carried out in 1960 suggested that many of the leakage channels had interconnected, increasing the possibility of a future dam failure.
In the 1960s, TVA began expanding the size of its dam locks to accommodate the increase in river traffic the Tennessee Valley had experienced since the end of World War II
. A study in 1963 suggested that expanding the size of the Hales Bar lock would be extremely expensive, and considering the continued expenses involved with leak repair, TVA decided that would be more practical to replace the dam altogether. Nickajack Dam
was authorized in January 1963 and construction was completed December 14, 1967. Operations were halted at Hales Bar Dam the following day, and by September 1968, Hales Bar Dam had been dismantled to the extent that it no longer threatened navigation on the new Nickajack Lake. Two of Hales Bar's generators and parts of Hales Bar's switchyard were installed at Nickajack.
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
in Marion County, Tennessee
Marion County, Tennessee
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 27,776. Its county seat is Jasper.Marion County is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:According to the U.S...
, USA. The Chattanooga and Tennessee River Power Company
Chattanooga and Tennessee Electric Power Company
The Chattanooga and Tennessee Electric Power Company was formed in 1905 by Josephus C. Guild, Charles E. James and Anthony N. Brady to produce hydroelectric power and improving the navigation of the Tennessee River....
began building the dam in 1905 and completed it in 1913, making Hales Bar one of the first major multipurpose dams and one of the first major dams to be built across a navigable channel in the United States. In 1939, the Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
assumed control of Hales Bar Dam after purchasing TEPCO's assets. TVA spent two decades trying to fix a leakage problem that had plagued Hales Bar since its construction, but after continued leakage, and after it was determined that expanding the dam's navigation lock
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
would be too expensive, TVA decided to replace the dam by building Nickajack Dam
Nickajack Dam
Nickajack Dam is a hydroelectric dam in Marion County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is one of nine dams on the Tennessee River owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the mid-1960s to replace the outdated Hales Bar Dam upstream. The dam impounds the ...
6 miles (9.7 km) downstream in 1968.
Location and capacity
Hales Bar Dam was located along the Tennessee River at just over 431 miles (693.6 km) above the river's mouth, near the southwest end of the Tennessee River GorgeTennessee River Gorge
The Tennessee River Gorge is a canyon formed by the Tennessee River once known as Cash Canyon. It is the fourth largest river gorge in the Eastern United States. The gorge is cut into the Cumberland Plateau as the river winds its way into Alabama from Tennessee. The Tennessee River Gorge is home...
. The dam's reservoir extended up the river through the gorge all the way to Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
, and had 162 miles (260.7 km) of shoreline. Before the construction of Hales Bar, this was a particularly unpredictable and dangerous section of the river, with numerous navigation obstacles. Downstream from the dam site, the river begins to steady as it enters the hills and flatlands near Guntersville
Guntersville, Alabama
Guntersville is a city in Marshall County, Alabama, United States and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the population of the city was 8,197. The city is the county seat of Marshall County. Guntersville is located in a HUBZone as identified by the...
.
Hales Bar Dam was 113 feet (34.4 m) high and 2315 feet (705.6 m) long, and its spillway had a combined discharge capacity of 224000 cuft/s. After improvements by TVA in 1949, the dam had a generating capacity of 99,700 kilowatts. The dam's lock, which went into operation on November 1, 1913, was 60 feet (18.3 m) by 260 feet (79.2 m), and its 41 feet (12.5 m) lift was the highest in the world at that time.
Construction
Along with Muscle ShoalsMuscle Shoals, Alabama
Muscle Shoals is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. As of 2007, the United States Census Bureau estimated the population of the city to be 12,846. The city is included in The Shoals MSA. It is famous for its contributions to American popular music.-Geography:Muscle Shoals is located...
and the Elk River Shoals further downstream, the Tennessee River Gorge had long been one of the major impediments to river navigation in the upper Tennessee Valley. While various 19th-century canal projects had minor success in extending navigation across the shoals, the Tennessee River Gorge remained largely untamed. In 1898, several Chattanooga business interests formed the Tennessee River Improvement Association to lobby for efforts to extend year-round navigation to Chattanooga, and around 1900, Major Dan C. Kingman of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers drafted a design for a dam that would flood the Tennessee River Gorge and remove the swift current and various hazards that had long prevented large-scale navigation through this stretch of the river. In 1904, Kingman's friend, Josephus Conn Guild, offered to build the dam with private funding in exchange for the rights to the dam's hydroelectric power. Congress passed the enabling legislation on April 27, 1904, and with funding from Chattanooga entrepreneur Charles E. James and New York financier Anthony Brady, Guild formed the Chattanooga and Tennessee River Power Company to oversee the project.
Work on Hales Bar Dam began in October 1905. Two self-contained communities, Guild (now Haletown
Haletown, Tennessee
Haletown is an unincorporated community in Marion County, Tennessee, United States. It is probably best known as the former location of Hales Bar Dam, a major hydroelectric project of the former Tennessee Electric Power Company completed in 1913 which was later purchased by the Tennessee Valley...
) and Ladds, were built to house the thousands of construction workers needed to build the dam. The dam was originally slated for completion in 1909, but numerous difficulties brought about primarily by the soft bedrock upon which the dam was built continuously stalled construction, and by 1910, only the lock and powerhouse had been completed. Engineers finally began to make progress after employing the use of pressure grouting and concrete caisson
Caisson (engineering)
In geotechnical engineering, a caisson is a retaining, watertight structure used, for example, to work on the foundations of a bridge pier, for the construction of a concrete dam, or for the repair of ships. These are constructed such that the water can be pumped out, keeping the working...
s— the first use of either in a major dam construction project— and Hales Bar Dam was finished on November 11, 1913. Leaks began to appear almost immediately after completion, however. In 1919, engineers attempted to minimize the leakage by pumping hot asphalt into the dam's foundation. This was temporarily successful, but by 1931, a study showed the dam was leaking at a rate of 1000 cuft/s.
TVA operations
The passage of the TVA Act in 1933 created the Tennessee Valley Authority and gave it control of flood control and improvement initiatives in the Tennessee Valley. By this time, Chattanooga and Tennessee River Power had merged with several other companies to form the Tennessee Electric Power Company, or TEPCO. The new company was eventually headed by Guild's son, Jo Conn GuildJo Conn Guild
Josephus "Jo" Conn Guild, Jr. was an American businessman and engineer from Chattanooga, Tennessee. As president of the Tennessee Electric Power Company , he became one of the staunchest and most outspoken opponents of the newly formed Tennessee Valley Authority in the 1930s...
, who was a fierce opponent of TVA. With the help of attorney Wendell Wilkie, TEPCO challenged the constitutionality of the TVA Act in federal court. In 1939, however, the U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
handed down its decision in Tennessee Electric Power Company v. TVA in which they upheld the TVA Act, and a few months later, TEPCO was forced to sell most of its assets, including Hales Bar Dam, to TVA for $78 million.
After gaining control of Hales Bar Dam in 1939, TVA carried out extensive repair work on the dam's foundation that by 1943 had succeeded in halting the dam's leakage. In 1949, TVA increased the dam's generating capacity and equipped the spillway with radial gates that helped extend the Hales Bar Reservoir's navigation channel all the way to the base of Chickamauga Dam
Chickamauga Dam
Chickamauga Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. The dam is owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the late 1930s as part of a New Deal era initiative to improve navigation and bring flood control and economic...
. In the late 1950s, however, boils began to appear in the water below Hales Bar Dam, and an investigation showed the dam was again leaking, this time at an alarming 2000 cuft/s. Dye tests carried out in 1960 suggested that many of the leakage channels had interconnected, increasing the possibility of a future dam failure.
In the 1960s, TVA began expanding the size of its dam locks to accommodate the increase in river traffic the Tennessee Valley had experienced since the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. A study in 1963 suggested that expanding the size of the Hales Bar lock would be extremely expensive, and considering the continued expenses involved with leak repair, TVA decided that would be more practical to replace the dam altogether. Nickajack Dam
Nickajack Dam
Nickajack Dam is a hydroelectric dam in Marion County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is one of nine dams on the Tennessee River owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the mid-1960s to replace the outdated Hales Bar Dam upstream. The dam impounds the ...
was authorized in January 1963 and construction was completed December 14, 1967. Operations were halted at Hales Bar Dam the following day, and by September 1968, Hales Bar Dam had been dismantled to the extent that it no longer threatened navigation on the new Nickajack Lake. Two of Hales Bar's generators and parts of Hales Bar's switchyard were installed at Nickajack.
External links
- Hales Bar Marina and Resort — resort presently located at the site of Hales Bar Dam