Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley, Land Between The Lakes

It's a BIG Lake!

You've probably heard the stats before:  Kentucky Lake is 184 miles long.  Kentucky Lake has 2,064 miles of shoreline.  Over 160,000 acres of water. 

But have you ever heard of these facts?

• Kentucky Lake has a flood storage capacity of 1.3 trillion gallons of water
• Kentucky Dam, on a normal day, is spilling 29.9 million gallons of water every second!
• When all the gates are open, the dam can spill upwards of 3 billion gallons of water every second!
• If Kentucky Lake was at the maximum level, there would be enough water for the world's population (6.5 billion) to drink a cup a day for nearly nine years!
• When just 4 of the 24 gates are open at Kentucky Dam, more water flows through the dam than over Niagra Falls!
• Kentucky Dam cost $118.5 million to build in 1938-1944.  If the dam were built day, strictly going by inflation, it would cost $1.8 billion!  Considering today's construction standards, labor and material costs, liability and insurance, etc., the amount would probably be much higher.
• In the 1920s and early 1930s, there was a significant push from local leaders to build the dam at Aurora where Eggner's Ferry Bridge is now located.  The dam was going to be built there, but geologist moved the dam downstream due to better geological conditions.