One of three generating facilities on Lake Norman the hydro station is typical of water impoundments. Construction on the dam started in 1959 and a workforce of about 1500 men finished it four years later in 1963. In addition to helping to control flooding and establishing a recreation area the dam houses hydro-electric turbines. The powerhouse initially held three turbines and a fourth was added in 1967. Spin-up time to the 350 MegaWatt maximum generating capacity is about fifteen minutes with a flow of more than 5 million gallons of water per minute.
Cowans Ford Dam created Lake Norman, the largest man-made lake in North Carolina providing water to nearby communities in Iredell, Lincoln, and Mecklenburg counties. Somewhere under all that water are a couple bridges, some businesses, cemeteries, and even a Revolutionary War battleground... but that's at least one other review read more