Herrington Lake is a 2335 acres (9 km²) artificial lake located in Mercer

Mercer County, Kentucky

Mercer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 20,817. Its county seat is Harrodsburg. The county is named for General Hugh Mercer...

, Garrard

Garrard County, Kentucky

Garrard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is pronounced 'Gair-ad' with the third "r" silent. It was formed in 1797 and was named for James Garrard, Governor of Kentucky from 1796 to 1804. Its county seat is Lancaster. The population was 16,912 in the 2010 Census...

 and Boyle

Boyle County, Kentucky

Boyle County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Its county seat is Danville. In 2000, its population was 28,432. It was formed in 1842 and named for John Boyle , a U.S...

 counties in Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

, USA

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The lake was created by Kentucky Utilities

Kentucky Utilities

Kentucky Utilities is based in Lexington, Kentucky and provides electricity to 77 counties in Kentucky. KU also serves five counties in Virginia under the name Old Dominion Power. It is owned by LG&E and KU Energy, LLC, which, in turn, is owned by PPL Corporation.-History:Kentucky Utilities was...

' damming of the Dix River

Dix River

The Dix River is a tributary of the Kentucky River in central Kentucky in the United States.It begins in western Rockcastle County, about west of Mount Vernon. It flows generally northwest, in a tight meandering course, passing north of Stanford and east of Danville. Northwest of Danville it is...

, a tributary of the Kentucky River

Kentucky River

The Kentucky River is a tributary of the Ohio River, long, in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The river and its tributaries drain much of the central region of the state, with its upper course passing through the coal-mining regions of the Cumberland Mountains, and its lower course passing through the...

, in 1925 to generate hydroelectric power. With a maximum depth of 249 feet (76 m), Herrington Lake is the deepest lake in Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

. A short distance below the dam, the Dix River enters the Kentucky River at High Bridge, Kentucky

High Bridge, Kentucky

High Bridge is a small unincorporated community in Jessamine County, Kentucky, United States. It lies along the lower reaches of the Kentucky River near the confluence of the Dix River with the Kentucky...

.

Herrington Lake contains many species of fish, including bluegill

Bluegill

The Bluegill is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes.-Range and distribution:...

, catfish

Catfish

Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...

, crappie

Crappie

Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...

, hybrid striped bass

Hybrid striped bass

A hybrid striped bass, also known as a wiper or whiterock bass, is a hybrid between the striped bass and the white bass . It can be distinguished from the striped bass by broken rather than solid horizontal stripes on the body...

, largemouth bass

Largemouth bass

The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...

, spotted bass

Spotted bass

The Spotted Bass , also called "Spotty", "Leeman", or "Spots" in various fishing communities, is a species of freshwater fish sunfish family of order Perciformes. One of the black basses, it is native to the Mississippi River basin and across theGulf States, from central Texas through the Florida...

, and white bass

White bass

The white bass or sand bass The white bass or sand bass The white bass or sand bass (MoroneIt is the state fish of Oklahoma.- Range :White bass are distributed widely across the United States, particularly in the midwest. They are very abundant in Pennsylvania and the area around Lake Erie...

.

Dix Dam

Dix Dam

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:...

, the dam that made the lake, was the largest earth-filled dam in the world at the time, and considered to be a major engineering feat. The generating station at the dam is now mainly used for flood control under control of the Army Corps of Engineers. Kentucky Utilities' main dispatch and communication center is located on the site.