Kelly Barnes Dam

Kelly Barnes Dam

Kelly Barnes Dam was an earthen embankment dam in Stephens County, Georgia, just outside the city of Toccoa. Heavy rainfall caused it to collapse on November 6, 1977, and the resulting flood killed 39 people and caused USD 2. 8 million in damage.

About Kelly Barnes Dam in brief

Summary Kelly Barnes DamKelly Barnes Dam was an earthen embankment dam in Stephens County, Georgia, just outside the city of Toccoa. Heavy rainfall caused it to collapse on November 6, 1977, and the resulting flood killed 39 people and caused USD 2. 8 million in damage. In 1899, a rock crib dam was built by E. P. Simpson to create a reservoir for a small hydroelectric power plant that began operating that same year. The dam was modified several times, ultimately measuring 38 feet high, 400 feet long and 20 feet wide at its crest.

After World War II, the dam was again raised, creating Barnes Lake, a 40-acre reservoir. The modifications provided power for Toc coa Falls Institute until 1957, when the power production was stopped. The lake was thereafter used only for recreation. A total of 200 feet of the dam failed, causing a peak of 24,000 cubic feet per second maximum discharge to burst downstream. The flood killed39 people and destroyed nine houses, 18 house trailers, two college buildings and many motor vehicles.