Lake Blalock (formally, the H. Taylor Blalock Reservoir) is 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
Spartanburg County, South Carolina
Spartanburg County is a county located on the northwestern border of the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 327,997, making it the fifth-most populous county in South Carolina. Its county seat is Spartan ...
, located on the
Pacolet River
The Pacolet River is a tributary of the Broad River, about 50 miles (80 km) long, in northwestern South Carolina in the United States.[Spartanburg
Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city had a population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-most populous city in the state. The Office of Management and Budg ...](_blank)
. After its creation was authorized in 1976 by the Commissioners of Spartanburg Water System, Blalock Dam was constructed in 1983. The existing earthen
dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...
is approximately . long and high. It was originally designed for a normal operating pool of , and the lake had approximately of shoreline. The existing spillway has a crest length of .
To increase the safe yield of the reservoir, Spartanburg Water System raised the level of Lake Blalock by , increasing the water surface elevation to in 2004. This project was completed in 2006 and involved overlaying the existing earthen dam with a layer of
roller compacted concrete, approximately in thickness, and constructing a new RCC stilling basin. The existing
spillway
A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure tha ...
was also upgraded by furnishing and installing three hydraulically operated spillway crest gates, constructing a new cast-in-place concrete ogee crest, and constructing a bridge across the spillway. In addition, the project also cleared approximately ( of shoreline) around the perimeter of the reservoir.
See also
*
List of lakes in South Carolina
This is a list of lakes and reservoirs in the U.S. state, state of South Carolina in the United States. All major lakes in South Carolina are man-made. Swimming, fishing, and/or boating are permitted in some of these lakes, but not all.
Lakes i ...
References
External links
Spartanburg Water SystemLake Blalock Dam image during construction (Google)
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Blalock
Lake Blalock
Protected areas of Spartanburg County, South Carolina
Bodies of water of Spartanburg County, South Carolina