The John H. Kerr Dam impounds the Roanoke River, built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1947 and 1953 for the purposes of flood control, and hydropower. It produces over 426 gigawatts of power annually. It is named for John H. Kerr (1873-1958), a Congressman from North Carolina who was instrumental in authorizing the construction.
The hydropower is produced by seven "Francis turbines" that work by combining radial and axial flows.
The viewpoint I selected was below the dam. I was joined by about two dozen people doing some fishing and a few actually caught some.
[Review 2146 of 2024 - 1457 in Virginia - 23165 overall] read more