The Laurel River is a 42-mile (68 km) tributary of the Cumberland River in southeast Kentucky in the United States . The river drains a rural region in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains , in parts of Whitley and Laurel Counties. The town of Corbin is located on the river about 15 miles (24 km) east of its mouth on the Cumberland, and near the confluence with a major tributary, the Little Laurel River.
4-503: The river is impounded near its mouth by Laurel River Dam, which forms Laurel River Lake . Completed in 1974 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , the dam and reservoir serve mainly for flood control, although some hydroelectricity is also produced. The river was likely named for thick growth of laurel along its banks. 36°56′46″N 84°17′46″W / 36.94611°N 84.29611°W / 36.94611; -84.29611 This Laurel County, Kentucky state location article
8-460: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Whitley County, Kentucky state location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a river in Kentucky is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Laurel River Lake Laurel River Lake , located west of Corbin, Kentucky , in the U.S. , is a reservoir built in 1977 by
12-562: The Forest Service cooperate on developing recreational facilities around the reservoir. Today most of the lake is managed by the Forest Service as part of Daniel Boone National Forest. The Army Corps of Engineers manages the operation of the dam itself, and runs recreational facilities at the dam. Laurel River Lake's drainage area is 282 square miles (730 km ). The area of the lake changes based on how full it is, but it
16-687: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Laurel River, a tributary of the Cumberland River , in the Daniel Boone National Forest . The lake covers parts of Laurel and Whitley counties. The 282 foot (86 m) high dam was built between 1964 and 1974. It is a combination earth and rock-fill dam. Hydropower production began in 1977. As of 2006, it produced an average annual energy of 67 gigawatt hours of hydroelectricity . The Army Corps of Engineers and
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