Localwaters

Calderwood Lake is an impoundment of the Little Tennessee River on the state line of Tennessee and North Carolina just to the south of Smoky Mountain National Park.

Calderwood-Dam is a hydroelectric dam located on the Little Tennessee River in Blount and Monroe counties, Tennessee. Completed in 1930, the dam is owned and maintained by Tapoco, a subsidiary of the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa), although the Tennessee Valley Authority controls the dam’s reservoir levels from Fontana Dam further upstream. Calderwood Dam is named for Alcoa engineer Isaac Glidden Calderwood (1871-1941), who supervised much of the company’s early Little Tennessee River operations.

Calderwood Dam was one of four dams- along with Cheoah, Santeetlah, and Chilhowee- built in the Little Tennessee Valley by Alcoa in the 20th century to provide electricity to its aluminum smelting operations in Blount County. The dam was one of the last to be completed in the Tennessee River watershed before TVA took control of the watershed in 1933. Alcoa developed the community of Calderwood, Tennessee, just downstream from the dam to house construction and maintenance crews for its Little Tennessee Valley operations. In 1989, Calderwood Dam was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The listing was expanded in 1990 and again in 2004 to include most of the dam’s substructures.*see additional info below

Credit for Description above: Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calderwood_Dam

Wiki/Creative Commons License for description above only:http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Calderwood Lake and dam as viewed from the overlook on Highway 129 (The Dragon’s Tail)

Calderwood Lake is mostly in Tennessee but the last mile upstream is in North Carolina, Slick Rock Creek marks the state line. The only access to the lake is in North Carolina boat access is via a nice wide ramp with a dock. Boaters with a Tennessee license may fish in the North Carolina portion and vice versa however you may not stand on the shore and fish without a license of the state for the shore on which you fish. Both states DNR stock the lake and it holds brook, brown, rainbow and lake trout. This is Tennessee’s most scenic lake with Smoky Mountain National Park bordering the north shore and Cherokee National Forest Bordering the south. A series of campsites have been installed for kayakers and canoeist paddling the Little Tennessee River. This lake is remote with little access to help and no cell phone coverage. It’s just the worst place to have boat motor trouble (it’s happened to me). Be careful here, bears and poisonous snakes abound.

Calderwood Lake Dam as viewed from a boat at one of the spillway gates.

Calderwood Lake and the Little Tennessee River -a Borderland

Calderwood Lake and the Little Tennessee River mark the state line of Tennessee and North Carolina just to the south of Smoky Mountain National Park. In North Carolina the Little Tennessee marks the border of Swain and Graham counties, in Tennessee the river marks the border between Blount and Monroe counties. Calderwood Lake also determines the border between Cherokee National Forest, Nantahala National Forest and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Creek Wilderness adds another border nearby. In addition to the political borders a significant private in-holding by Alcoa Aluminum which owns and/or holds long term leases on large property parcels along the river (including the dam above Calderwood, Calderwood dam itself, the historic town of Calderwood and the dam below). The holdings are in the name of Tapoco, which originally stood for Tallassee Power Company. Tapoco is just one division of APGI (Alcoa Power Generating Inc.) APGI is owned by ALCOA Inc. Legally this corporate arrangement represents just another set of borders for Calderwood Lake.

On Calderwood Lake, fishermen can take advantage of double stocking. Both the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency stock trout here. Tennessee stocks lake trout, brook trout, rainbows and browns while NC stocks brook, rainbows and browns.

Think about showing your appreciation for Calderwood Lake by picking up a couple pieces of litter during your next visit. Many hands make light work.

Respect the local people, in many ways you are their guest.