Lake Barkley, a

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

in Livingston County, Lyon County and Trigg County in

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

and extending into Stewart County and Houston County in

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, 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 A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

Alben Barkley Alben William Barkley (; November 24, 1877 – April 30, 1956) was the 35th vice president of the United States serving from 1949 to 1953 under President Harry S. Truman. In 1905, he was elected to local offices and in 1912 as a U.S. rep ...

, a Kentucky native. The dam impounds the Cumberland River near Grand Rivers, Kentucky, approximately upstream from where the Cumberland empties into the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

. 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 , with the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area located between them. Lake Barkley is long with a shoreline measuring . The lake's level is maintained at different levels throughout the year for

flood control Flood management or flood control are methods used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters. Flooding can be caused by a mix of both natural processes, such as extreme weather upstream, and human changes to waterbodies and ru ...

purposes. Summer pool,

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

, is normally reached by May 1. The water level begins dropping gradually on July 1, and winter pool () is reached by December 1. The spring rise starts April 1. The lake's water surface area varies accordingly from at summer pool to at winter pool.

History

As with the formation of Kentucky Lake, communities were flooded in the 1960s to build Lake Barkley. Locals often refer to "Old Eddyville" for Eddyville and "Old Kuttawa" for Kuttawa. The "Old" areas were the portions of the cities that were left above the water after the areas were flooded; these old areas are now lakefront. The present-day cities were created on nearby sites after the lake was impounded. Old foundations and streets, previously flooded, are still visible during winter pool. Highways were even relocated, including US 68 and US 62, along with state routes and smaller streets. The Illinois Central Railroad was also relocated; the former alignment can still be seen under water from low flying planes above. The area was significantly damaged by a violent EF4 tornado on December 10, 2021. The State Park lodges were opened to house area residents whose homes were destroyed.

Recreation

Lake Barkley State Resort Park is located on the eastern shore of the lake. The largest yellow bass ever taken in Kentucky (1 lb., 1 oz.) was caught in the waters of Lake Barkley. In 2019 officials started to aggressively deal with the invasion of Asian carp into Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake. The state is using electo-shock fishing and sonic devices and hope to remove 5 million pounds of the species a year

References

External links

LakeBarkley.org Official web site of Lake BarkleyLake Barkley
– U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
KentuckyLake.com
Lake Barkley, Kentucky Lake & Land Between the Lakes Information
Facilities map of Lake Barkley (Kentucky side)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barkley 1966 establishments in Kentucky Reservoirs in Kentucky Reservoirs in Tennessee Protected areas of Houston County, Tennessee Protected areas of Stewart County, Tennessee Protected areas of Livingston County, Kentucky Protected areas of Lyon County, Kentucky Protected areas of Trigg County, Kentucky Bodies of water of Houston County, Tennessee Bodies of water of Stewart County, Tennessee Bodies of water of Livingston County, Kentucky Bodies of water of Lyon County, Kentucky Bodies of water of Trigg County, Kentucky Cumberland River

History

Recreation

See also

References

External links