Blue Ridge Lake Georgia 4K Pristine Lake North Georgia Mountains (DJI Mavic Air 3S Drone Footage)

Blue Ridge Lake is a reservoir in Fannin County, in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. The reservoir encompasses 3,300-acre (1,300 ha) of water, and a "full summer pool" of approximately 1,686 feet (514 m) above mean sea level. It is managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority and is primarily fed by the Toccoa River. Blue Ridge Lake was created by the completion of Blue Ridge Dam and has approximately 60 miles (97 km) of shoreline and a flood storage capacity of 68,500 acre⋅ft (84,500 dam3). The lake's levels fluctuate by about 20 feet (6.1 m) in a typical year. Blue Ridge Dam was completed in 1930. It stands 175 feet (53 m) high and is 1,553 feet (473 m) wide across the Toccoa river. The dam provides up to 13 megawatts of power via a single generator. Blue Ridge Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Toccoa River in Fannin County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the uppermost of four dams on the Toccoa/Ocoee River owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority. The dam impounds the 3,300-acre (1,300 ha) Blue Ridge Lake on the southwestern fringe of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Blue Ridge Dam is a hydraulic earth-fill type dam 167 feet (51 m) high and 1,000 feet (300 m) long, and has a generating capacity of 22 megawatts. The dam's gate-controlled saddle spillway— which is separated from the main dam by a small hill— can discharge up to 55,000 cubic feet (1,600 m3) of water per second. The dam's powerhouse utilizes a 192-foot (59 m) concrete intake tower, and a 14-foot (4.3 m)-diameter steel penstock 1,050 feet (320 m) long that conveys water from the tower to the primary turbine. A 180-foot (55 m) surge tank relieves pressure brought about by rapid gate closures. Blue Ridge Lake has approximately 60 miles (97 km) of shoreline and a flood storage capacity of 68,550 acre-feet (84,560 dam3). The reservoir's levels fluctuate by about 20 feet (6.1 m) in a typical year. Seasonal releases from the dam create Class I and Class II rapids on the Toccoa River for several miles downstream. Blue Ridge Dam was built by the Toccoa Electric Power Company, a subsidiary of the Tennessee Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which operated several hydroelectric plants in nearby Tennessee, including Ocoee Dam No. 1 and Ocoee Dam No. 2. Construction began in 1925, and the dam went into operation July 1, 1931. At the time of its completion, the dam had a generating capacity of 20 megawatts and was the most modern power dam in the TEPCO system, requiring a staff of just six employees. Subsequent upgrades have increased the dams generating capacity to 22 megawatts. With the passage of the TVA Act in 1933, the Tennessee Valley Authority was given oversight of the Tennessee River watershed (which included the Toccoa River). TEPCO challenged the constitutionality of the TVA Act in federal court, but the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law in 1939, and TEPCO was forced to sell its assets to TVA for $78 million in August of that year.[6] This sum included $5 million for Blue Ridge Dam. Soon after the dam began operations in 1931, its penstock partially collapsed. To prevent this from happening again, TVA has significantly lowered the water level in the reservoir when it conducts periodic dam inspections (approximately once every five years), which require dewatering of the penstock. A project was initiated in 2010 to repair the penstock, stabilize the intake tower base, and repair and stabilize the upstream and downstream faces of the dam, thus eliminating the future need for severe reservoir drawdowns. In early 2025, a TVA safety report stated that Blue Ridge Dam was built in a way that makes it "vulnerable to a strong earthquake." The report said such an event could cause "significant cracks" leading to an uncontrolled release of water and "significant loss of human life." TVA said it would work to protect the public from such an even. Hope you enjoyed the views of this beautiful lake nestled in the North Georgia Mountains! Hope you enjoyed the views from a Bird's Eye View! #blueridgelake #blueridge #blueridgega #blueridgemountains #northgeorgiamountains #northgeorgia #northgoa #travel #dronephotography #drone #dji #dronevideo #lake #lakelife #lakeview Music by: TYTU Deep (Imperss Music | Suno Remix) - IMPERSS Music