Group gets up-close tour of Kentucky Dam through TVA celebration

About 40 citizens got a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get an up-close look at Kentucky Dam recently, as the Tennessee Valley Authority opened it up for tours celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States.

Completed by the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1944, Kentucky Dam is the longest dam in the TVA system, measuring in at 8,422 feet. It’s been helping power this part of the U.S. ever since and on Thursday, a group got to go on an exclusive tour of that power facility.

Plant Manager KT Duffy says this was a rare chance to get inside one of the TVA’s most significant engineering sites, and they were glad to show part of the public what it is they do and how they serve local communities.

Ann Martin was a citizen participant in the tour and she found it an enlightening experience. She says it reminded her of coming to Kentucky Dam as a kid and being so amazed by what she saw there, and it’s only gained more history since then.

Martin says while a lot of the technology has changed, the Dam is still run by human hands, helping provide the power that impacts human lives every day.

Participants got to experience the site, speak with subject-matter professionals and learn more about the history of Kentucky Dam at the TVA.

Kentucky Dam is located on the Tennessee River near Paducah, and it creates Kentucky Lake, the largest artificial lake in the eastern U.S. generating 184 megawatts of hydroelectric power.