Lake Wedowee
| Lake Wedowee | |
|---|---|
| Location | Randolph County, Alabama, United States |
| Coordinates | 33°15′02″N 85°36′45″W / 33.25056°N 85.61250°WCoordinates: 33°15′02″N 85°36′45″W / 33.25056°N 85.61250°W |
| Type | reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Tallapoosa River |
| Primary outflows | Tallapoosa River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 24 miles (39 km) |
| Surface area | 10,660 acres (43.1 km2) |
| Max. depth | 135 ft (41 m) |
| Shore length1 | 270 mi (430 km) |
| Surface elevation | 793 ft (242 m) |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Lake Wedowee, or R. L. Harris Reservoir, is a reservoir, located in Randolph County, Alabama on the upper part of the Tallapoosa River. The lake is 10,660 acres. This lake was built at one of the last hydro sites in Alabama.
Construction
The lake was created by the flooding of the plains behind the R.L. Harris Dam, which began construction on November 1, 1974. The last part of construction of the dam ended on April 20, 1983. There are two generating units that produce up to 67 megawatts of power for each unit.
Recreation
There are many recreational attractions on Lake Wedowee such as: boating, swimming, fishing and camping. Fishing brings the most attraction to the lake. It is known to be one of the finest lakes in the Southeast because the quality of the water and its sizeable bass population. There are many different species of fish in the lake that include crappie, largemouth bass, spotted bass, channel catfish, and flathead catfish. This lake was an original striper lake prior to 1993.
Community
The town of Wedowee is relatively small with an estimated population of 800 people. Wedowee is also the county seat of Randolph County. U.S. Highway 431 intersects the town as well as Alabama Highway 48. The community has grown over the years as the lake continues to develop.