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45-655: The Keowee River flows out of Lake Jocassee Dam and into Lake Keowee , a reservoir created by Keowee Dam and Little River Dam. The Keowee River flows out of Keowee Dam to join Twelvemile Creek near Clemson, South Carolina , forming the beginning of the Seneca River , a tributary of the Savannah River . The Keowee River is 25.7 miles (41.4 km) long. The boundary between the Seneca River and

90-465: A 9,000 square feet (840 m ) home overlooking the lake. One charity purchased a home for a wounded marine . Education . There are numerous schools located near the lake, including Clemson University , Tri-County Technical College, and Anderson University . Fort Prince George (South Carolina) Fort Prince George was a fort constructed in 1753 in the Province of South Carolina , on

135-616: A company called the South Carolina Land & Timber firm began purchasing land along the Keowee River for the specific purpose of "acquiring, holding, and developing land and timber properties". What was then known as Duke Power Company bought 83,400 acres from the Singer Corporation and private landowners. In the mid-1960s, Duke Power executives consulted with state and federal authorities, and searched for

180-663: A deep trench. The fort's interior living area was about 100 feet (30 m) square. The interior contained a guardhouse, storehouse, kitchen, magazine, barracks, and officer's quarters. The fort served as a staging point for three British assaults on the Cherokee during the Anglo-Cherokee War . It also was the site of a siege by Cherokee warriors in February 1760, simultaneously with attacks on Ninety-Six , Fort Dobbs and Fort Loudoun . Hostilities ended in 1761, and

225-492: A depth of 150 feet, which serves as a middle point in the lake's depth. This is sufficiently deep to extract water during a drought or prolonged dry spell in which lake levels drop, and it is not so deep that inlet valves may become blocked with mud or other particulate matter. Duke Energy closed the gates of the Keowee dam on April 2, 1970, to begin the final phase of collecting the water, or what engineers refer to as impounding

270-453: A gathering place for our family. We do a lot of entertaining there, from hosting Tom's parents' 50th wedding anniversary party to birthday celebrations. Our son is getting married soon, and the reception will be at the house. Even when not entertaining, we are there almost every weekend in the summer. Tom is a golfer, but I can sit out on the deck looking out on the lake all day. Notable residents include INSP network's CEO David Cerullo who built

315-734: A large force of the Continental Army and South Carolina militia under the command of Colonel Andrew Williamson ; they petitioned for peace. The Treaty of Dewitt's Corner , signed May 20, 1777, stipulated a new border between the Cherokee and European Americans, defining it as the crest of the Oconee Mountains. The Cherokee ceded almost all their lands in modern Oconee , Pickens , Anderson , and Greenville counties of South Carolina. The Hopewell Treaty of 1785 and others reaffirmed those boundaries, while clarifying access for

360-435: A life size Bob's Big Boy Burger statue located at the south end, which has become a popular selfie location for anglers during national competitive fishing tournaments. The Keowee dam has two hydroelectric generating units, capable of generating 40 megawatts which is sufficient energy to power approximately 7,000 homes. In addition, a tunnel was built for the purpose of transporting water. The Keowee water transportation tunnel

405-495: A press conference at Clemson University and announced plans to build a large complex to generate power, called the Keowee-Toxaway project, which would cost an estimated $ 700 million. Two days later, Duke filed for license to build the first phase of construction. Since the project would require flooding of a large area, including known sites of historic and archeological importance, Duke Energy hired archaeologists from

450-552: A river in South Carolina is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Lake Keowee Lake Keowee is a man-made reservoir in the United States in the state of South Carolina . It was developed to serve the needs of power utility Duke Energy and public recreational purposes. It is approximately 26 miles (42 km) long, 3 miles (4.8 km) wide, with an average depth of 54 feet (16 m), and

495-400: A shoreline measured at 300 miles (480 km) in total, and is approximately 800 feet (240 m) above sea level. The massive demolition and building project began in 1971 with the construction of two large dams––Keowee Dam and Little River Dam, built on the rivers of the same names. The project covered 18,372 acres (74.35 km ). The lake collects or impounds waters from

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540-553: A traditional burial ground at the town. Creek Confederacy tribes and to a lesser degree, the Cherokees, (and their ancestors) have long lived in this area. In 1753, Anglo-European settlers built Fort Prince George across the river from Keowee Town . But Keeowee was destroyed and largely razed by British forces in retaliation for Cherokee killings during tensions in 1760. By the American Revolutionary War,

585-554: A way to supply the growing southeastern region with greater electricity. They explored various ways to purchase inexpensive land, create artificial lakes, and use the power from stored energy to both cool the reactors from nuclear power plants as well as generate power from cascading waters by hydroelectric methods. The project was modeled in part on successes of projects of the Tennessee Valley Authority . On January 2, 1965, Duke Energy president W. B. McGuire held

630-519: A weekend retreat. A developer of a gated community brought in almost 5,000 large one-ton boulders to stabilize muddy banks along a creek feeding into the lake. In a section near the lake, developers built a mountain-top golf course as an amenity. Fire stations in the vicinity include the Keowee Fire Department which is assisted by neighboring companies when necessary. The approval process for developers seeking to build on large lots

675-447: A wide range of facilities for differing purposes. One private developer in conjunction with authorities from Pickens County is building a multi-use "recreation complex" which features cabins, boats, restaurants, parking for RVs , campsites, fishing piers, a beach for swimming, boat docks and storage. There has been phenomenal growth since the 1970s; one estimate was that there have been 110 separate communities which have "popped up" along

720-735: Is "comprehensive", according to one report, with permissions needed from not only the Duke officials, but from community residents, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and 14 state and resource agencies as well as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Homes in the lake area have been constructed and bought by persons seeking retirement as well as persons who love lake-related outdoor activity. Many residents own boats; summer weekends were described in one report as busier than weekdays in terms of boaters using

765-722: Is 20 feet (6.1 m) higher than the Little River dam, but it is 215 feet (66 m) lower than the Jocassee dam. Both lakes were fed by the Whitewater, Thompson, and Toxaway rivers. In addition, the Lake Jocassee hydro station feeds water into Lake Keowee. The initial transfer of water began in December 1973, and commercial operation began on December 19, 1973. The lake boasts several shoreline landmarks, including

810-469: Is 800 feet (240 m) long and 33.5 feet (10.2 m) feet wide and contains a maximum of 5,300,000 US gallons (20,000,000 litres), with an average flow rate of 1,000 cubic feet (28 cubic metres) per second. To cool the nuclear reactors, a structure called the Oconee skimmer wall was built; it separates the plant's inlet canal from the lake itself. The effect of the skimmer is to fetch cool lake water from

855-505: Is becoming over–developed, with too many houses or developments, which may interfere with the overall beauty of the lake. There have been concerns about overcrowding, light pollution , noise pollution , and stormwater runoff. Large-scale developments tend to cause greater concern. One estimate by the advocacy group was that there were at least 80 land parcels on or around the lake which had at least 10 acres each. County authorities have exerted influence on what happens in and around

900-541: Is directly east and adjacent to Oconee county. The lake is within a few hundred miles of the following southeastern cities: Charleston 250 miles (400 km); Columbia 136 miles (219 km); Greenville 35 miles (56 km); Charlotte , 127 miles (204 km); Raleigh-Durham 269 miles (433 km); Atlanta 145 miles (233 km); Augusta 135 miles (217 km); Savannah 247 miles (398 km). Winters are generally mild with temperate summers. The area has attracted real estate developers who have built

945-738: The Cherokee Path across the Keowee River from the Cherokee town of Keowee . The fort was named for the Prince of Wales , who would later become King George III of the United Kingdom. It was the principal Carolinian trading post among the Cherokee "Lower Towns". The fort was built on the Keowee River , across from the largest Cherokee "Lower Town", Keowee . The fort was a 200-foot (61 m) square built of earth and wood with walls 12 to 15 feet (4.6 m) high, surrounded by

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990-550: The Keowee River and the Little River and others. The outflows below the respective dams join to form the Seneca River , which flows into the larger Savannah River . Lake water is used to cool Duke Energy's three nuclear reactors located at the Oconee Nuclear Generating Station . In addition, the dams help generate hydroelectric power . The Keowee Hydro Station generates 158 megawatts from

1035-586: The University of South Carolina to excavate many of the sites in the area, including that of the colonial fort. One participant in the dig built a model of an excavation site, which can be viewed at the Keowee-Toxaway State Park. The Cherokee site of the former Keowee Town was also excavated. Thousands of artifacts were discovered, including pottery, beads, and remains from humans and animals. The massive demolition and building project of

1080-772: The Cherokee mostly allied with the British Crown, in the hopes of expelling the American frontier people from their lands. Some had moved out of the Lower Towns to areas more removed from Anglo-American colonists. They were largely left on their own during the Revolution but defeated after the British loss at Sullivan's Island in 1776. The Cherokee in the Carolina highlands and northeastern Georgia were decimated by

1125-546: The Keowee River has changed over time. In the Revolutionary War period and early eighteenth century, the upper part of the Seneca River was often called the Keowee River, as it was part of the Cherokee homeland. They also had a town named Keowee . In current times, the section of the Keowee River between the Keowee Dam and its confluence with Twelvemile Creek is called the Seneca River on many maps, including

1170-455: The bordering Cherokee to continue to use the hunting grounds along the mountainous slopes of the border that technically fell into the land of the white settlers. In the treaty of Washington of 1816, the Cherokee sold this remaining strip of land and its hunting grounds to the United States for $ 5,000; they relocated to points further west and south in Georgia. The land that eventually became

1215-504: The dams and lake, but the shoreline around the lake, including docks and walls. It is responsible for the land around the lake up to a specific elevation. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission oversees Duke Energy's management, for instance ensuring whether the lake is accessible by the public. This was one of the conditions of the original approvals of the projects. Duke Energy is Oconee county's largest taxpayer. Builders and developers and others often must have written permission from

1260-555: The dams began. Huge swaths of forest land were cleared by removing and selling lumber from the downed trees. Selected wooded areas were set afire to enable bulldozing operations. Some areas were dug deeper to increase the future depth of the lake and give it sufficient volume for its cooling purposes. Duke hired the Jeff Hunt Machinery Company to clear the basins for the Lake Keowee and Lake Jocassee sites; at

1305-517: The energy utility before embarking on any significant changes around the lake. Duke Energy cooperates with state and federal authorities to manage the area; for example, in the summer of 2011, energy officials conferred with the United States Army Corps of Engineers regarding matters such as lake levels and making changes to nuclear station pumps for added flexibility. In addition, the utility has sponsored clean-up drives to keep

1350-519: The expense for this phase of the project was $ 83 million. At the official groundbreaking ceremony in April 1967, a red, white and blue dynamite charge was set off by South Carolina governor Robert McNair . Of the three dams built, the dam on the Keeowee River was the longest at 3,500 feet (1,100 m) in length, 800 feet (240 m) wide at its base, and 20 feet (6.1 m) wide at the top. It

1395-806: The extreme northern border of modern Lake Keowee was never again contested. But, the Indian Removal Act of 1830 forced most of the Cherokee to depart the Southeast, including from Georgia and Alabama. Historians have estimated that up to 4,000 of 16,000 Cherokee died from disease, exposure, and starvation on what became known as the Trail of Tears to new lands west of the Mississippi River in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). Beginning around 1963 and continuing in subsequent years,

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1440-542: The fort was abandoned by 1768. The site is in modern-day Pickens County, South Carolina . In 1970, both the sites of Keowee and the fort were archaeologically excavated. This was 18 months before these sites were to be submerged by creation of Lake Keowee . It was formed by filling behind the Keowee Dam in 1971. Some of the items discovered at the fort included: 34°51′29″N 82°53′38″W  /  34.85806°N 82.89389°W  / 34.85806; -82.89389 This military base or fortification article

1485-422: The lake . It reached an ultimate lake depth of 150 feet (46 m). The Keowee hydro station began commercial operation on April 17, 1971. The Oconee Nuclear Site was completed and began operation in 1973. As of , it has generated more electricity than any other site in the nation. Duke Energy 's Oconee Nuclear Station is about 8 miles (13 km) from both the towns of Salem to the north and Seneca to

1530-522: The lake free of litter and pollution. It also has commissioned studies to monitor "recreation pressures on the lake". Residents who have bought homes along the lake or nearby formed an advocacy group named the Friends Of Lake Keowee Society or abbreviated as FOLKS . It was established in 1993 to represent the interests of lake residents in terms of environmental and recreational issues. The Society has initiated monitoring

1575-403: The lake's 300 miles of shoreline since the lake's formation, with 10,000 "buildable lots" which have 2,000 houses, many of them "multistory mansions," according to one description. One multi-use facility features a large park for dogs, pet-friendly trails, and open space including shoreline. There are reports that the area is becoming increasingly attractive for retirees as well as persons seeking

1620-399: The lake's outflows. Lake Keowee has provided a recreational destination for fishing , boating , swimming , sailing , kayaking and other watersports. The lake has been described as having pure and clean water. The name Keowee (ᎨᎣᏫ) is a Cherokee word: it is roughly translated as "place of the mullberries." The historic Keowee Town had been located on the bank of the Keowee River and

1665-411: The lake's water quality and watershed. An "Island Keeper Program" is an effort to reduce litter. The advocacy group has brought pressure to block proposed developments; for example, developers seeking to build a multi-use facility in 2011, to include a restaurant, store, lodge and fueling station, had to face FOLKS members in a public hearing to hear community input. FOLKS is concerned that the lake area

1710-486: The lake. In one instance, authorities raised concerns about a planned 12–story highrise condominiums around the lake on the basis that it might change the lake's "skyline". The Lake is predominately located in the South Carolina county of Oconee , in the northwestern section of the triangularly-shaped state near the Blue Ridge Mountains range. Parts of the lake extend into Pickens County , which

1755-435: The lake. Two residents reported their experience with a lake house: Summer weekends on the lake are busy, but during the week you might only see four or five boats go by all day. ... We'll see kayaks and a few sailboats, but mostly it's motorboats on the lake. Our kids water-ski and wakeboard. We also have three dogs, and within the first five minutes of arriving they are in the lake, too. The house, more than anything, has been

1800-548: The larger towns had an earthwork platform mounds built by ancestral people of the South Appalachian Mississippian culture era. The Cherokee typically constructed townhouses , which were their form of public architecture, on top of such mounds if available. Keowee was the principal town of the Lower Towns. Other Cherokee towns on the Keowee River included Etastoe (also spelled Estatoe), and Sugartown ( Kulsetsiyi ). This article related to

1845-709: The nation had been using improper methods during the refueling process. Investigation by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) resulted in corrections being made to the problems; these changes resulted in increased cooling capacity. In 2011, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission renewed the site's license for an additional 20 years of service. Since Duke Energy built the lake and uses it regularly for power generation and cooling, it has considerable authority over its operation. It manages not just

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1890-472: The official county highway map. Since this area is flooded by Lake Hartwell , formed by damming the Seneca and Tugaloo rivers, it is natural to refer to this section as the Seneca instead of its proper name. By the early eighteenth century the Cherokee occupied several towns along the upper Keowee River, which were referred to as the Lower Towns. These had long been occupied by indigenous peoples, and each of

1935-401: The south. Since it began operation, the station has generated more than 500 million megawatt-hours worth of electricity, the first nuclear station in the country to achieve this. According to one estimate, it has a generating capacity of 2.6 million kilowatts of power, which is enough to power 1.9 million homes. In 1996 concerns were raised that Duke and numerous other nuclear utilities around

1980-546: The time, it was one of the largest orders for land clearing ever to have been given in the states of North Carolina and South Carolina . Later it hired the firms of Blythe Brothers and Clement Brothers to begin earth-moving operations commencing in 1967. In the first phase, dams were built on the Keowee and Little rivers to create Lake Keowee. A dam blocking the Jocassee River created Lake Jocassee . One estimate of

2025-458: Was the largest of the seven Cherokee Lower Towns in the colonial period, in what became the state of South Carolina. Both the town and the former Keowee River were inundated by the formation of Lake Keowee. Archeological excavations conducted in advance of the project by the University of South Carolina recovered thousands of artifacts, as well as evidence of human and animal remains. There was

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