Lake Norman Info
Year Built: 1959-1964
Area: 32,510 acres at full pond
Length: 33.6 miles
Width: 9 miles
Shore Line length: 520 miles
Maximum Depth: 110 feet
Average Depth: 33.5 feet
Capacity: 3.4 trillion gallons of water
Volume: 1,093,600 acre-feet
Elevation at full pond: 760 feet above MSL
Retention Time: 207 Days (average)
Drainage Area: 1,790 square miles
Average River Flow at Cowans Ford Dam:1,726 MGD
Named for: Norman Atwater Cocke
(former president of Duke Energy)
Source of the Catawba River: Catawba River rises in the Blue Ridge Mountains of McDowell County, approximately 20 miles east of Asheville.
Lake Level: Call 1.800.829.5253
Location: Lat: 35.5177689 Lon: -80.9557724
History of Lake Norman
Cowans Ford Dam created the largest man-made body of fresh water in North Carolina when it dammed the Catawba River in 1963. Lake Norman is an “inland sea” with 520 miles of shoreline and a surface area of more than 32,475 acres. Named after former Duke Power president Norman Cocke, Lake Norman is nearly as large as the other 10 lakes on the Catawba combined.
The water of Lake Norman is used in two ways to provide electricity to the Piedmont Carolinas. It’s used to power the generators at Cowans Ford Hydroelectric Station and by Marshall Steam Station and McGuire Nuclear Station to cool the steam that drives the turbines. This steam is condensed back to water so it can be pumped back through the plants and used again.
Recognizing that Lake Norman is an invaluable recreational asset, Duke Power makes every effort to keep it an attractive place to live and play. Duke Power partnered with the state in the establishmentof the Duke Power State Park. In addition, Duke has built two bank fishing areas and eight publicboating access areas along the shoreline.
Duke Energy