Localwaters

Lake Barkley, a 58,000-acre reservoir in Livingston, Lyon, and Trigg counties in Kentucky and extending into Stewartand Houston counties in Tennessee, the lake was impounded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1966 upon the completion of Barkley Dam. Both the lake and the dam are named for Vice President Alben Barkley, a Kentucky native. The dam impounds the Cumberland River near Grand Rivers, Kentucky 38 miles upstream from where the Cumberland empties into the Ohio River. One mile above the dam is a canal connecting Lake Barkley with Kentucky Lake, forming one of the greatest freshwater recreational complexes in the country. The lakes run parallel courses for more than 50 miles (80 km), with the Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area located between them.

Lake Barkley is 134 miles (216 km) long with a shoreline measuring 1,004 miles (1,616 km). The lake’s level is maintained at different levels throughout the year for flood control purposes. Summer pool, 359 ft (109 m) above sea level, is normally reached by May 1. The water level begins dropping gradually on July 1, and winter pool (354 ft/107 m) is reached by December 1. The spring rise starts April 1. The lake’s water surface area varies accordingly from 57,920 acres (234 km²) at summer pool to 45,210 acres (183 km²) at winter pool.

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

From the Corps of Engineers Description of Lake Barkley:

Lake Barkley is a shallow water lake impounding 118.1 miles of the Cumberland River from River Mile 30.6 above its confluence with the Ohio River to Cheatham Dam (River Mile 148.7). It is the lowermost mainstream project for the Cumberland River System. Barkley Dam was authorized in the River and Harbor Act of 1954.

Lake Barkley is located in an area that varies from gentle to moderately rolling hills, typical of scenic southwestern Kentucky and north central Tennessee. It is a beautiful area interspersed with open fields, old growth timber and picturesque bluffs. The lake, in its upper reaches, passes through the site of the famous Civil War battlefield now preserved as the Fort Donelson National Battlefield located in Dover, Tennessee.

Barkley is a multiple-purpose project designed for flood control, navigation, and hydropower. Two additional purposes for which Lake Barkley is managed are recreation and fish and wildlife. The project was first identified as the Lower Cumberland Project, but was later redesignated as Barkley Lock and Dam and Lake Barkley in honor of the late Alben W. Barkley, the 35^th vice president of the United States and late senator and a Paducah, Kentucky native.

Courtesy of the Nashville District of the US Corps Of Engineers

Please consider showing your appreciation of Lake Barkley by picking up some litter during your next visit, many hands make light work.