Nantahala Power and Light's Franklin Dam

Franklin Dam, aka Porters Bend Dam, was built by the town of Franklin to serve the surrounding community. The town then sold the facility to Northwest Carolina Utilities about the time of the depression, who let the plant fall into disrepair and eventually let the town have it back in 1933. NP&L purchased the plant that same year, and in 1980 licensed it with the FERC (#2603). It is located on the Little Tennessee River, just north of Franklin proper.

The dam is 462.5 feet long and 35.5 feet high. It has a gated spillway with six tainter gates, two uncontrolled ogee spillway sections, and an integral powerhouse. The powerhouse has two turbine/generators; together they can generate just over a megawatt at a rated hydraulic capacity of 734 cfs. A third bay has a sluice gate for additional spilling when needed.

The reservoir, Lake Emory, is 142 acres at full pool of 2000.22 feet MSL, and drains an area of 310 square miles with average inflow of 753 cfs. The confluence of the Little Tennessee and Cullasaja Rivers is within the designated reservoir boundary. There is no useful flood storage.

Another "switchyard on a pole". We think this plant goes straight into the local distribution network at 12 KV.