All Corps of Engineers people at the lake will be happy to help visitors in every possible way to have a safe and enjoyable stay. However, it will be raised while flood waters are being stored and it will be drawn down during dry periods, usually in the late summer and fall, to supplement river flow downstream. The pump-back operations cause weekly fluctuations in the main lake of up to 4 feet. How the Project Works Carters Dam collects runoff water from about 375 square miles. Except in emergencies, all water released from the main lake to the reregulation pool below passes through the turbines.
Power is produced only a few hours each weekday when the demand for electricity is greatest.
The reregulation dam regulates the flow from the main lake to provide a continuous outflow from the project and storage for pump-back operations. To produce power, water from the main lake flows through the penstocks to the powerhouse, rotates the turbines which tuen the generators, and discharges into the reregulation reservoir below. This water is then pumped back into the main lake when the demand for electricity is low, usually during the night and on weekends. Reuse of the water in this way substantially increases the capacity of the power plant. The electricity is delivered at the switchyard to the Georgia Power Company under a contract administrated by the Southeastern Power Administration.