Russell: (Satellite)
The concrete part straight ahead is the powerhouse.
The other USACE dam on the Savannah River is the Hartwell Dam.
Thurmond/Clark Hill Dam
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| Street View, Feb 2024 |
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| Street View, Feb 2024 |
The concrete part straight ahead is the powerhouse.
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| Street View, Feb 2024 |
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| USACE "Thurmond Dam is a concrete-gravity structure flanked on both sides by embankments of compacted earth. The concrete section is 1,096 feet [334m] long and rises 200 feet [61m] above the riverbed at its highest point. The earthen embankments on each side of the dam lengthen it to over 1 mile. The dam creates a 71,100-acre lake that stretches 29.4 miles up the Savannah River and 17 miles up the Little River." The seven generators have a capacity of 52mw. |
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| USACE The penstocks are 20' (6.1m) in diameter. The 1,096' (334m) long spillway has a capacity of 1,000,000cfs "with the gates completely open." (That is heavy flow. I wonder if the river can handle it. I did see a footnote of "Top of Augusta Levee," but I could not find what that footnote is flagging. |
The dam does have significant earthen embankments, so it is important that the spillway can pass all of the flood waters.
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| Chris Powers, Dec 2022 |
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| André Tzschupke, Apr 2019 |
The dam has a large Visitor Center.
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| NPH Prod., May 2025 |
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| News 12 26 Augusta posted Army Corps declares drought level 2 for Lake Thurmond đŸ”—: https://www.wrdw.com/.../army-corps-declares-drought.../ [I'll save you from watching an ad: I confirmed that the video has no more information than is in the text.] |
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| Google Search AI Results |
I could not find the normal generation flow. On Dec 5, 2025, Level 1 Drought was triggered and the flow was reduced to 4,200cfs at Thurmond Dam. Level 2 is reducing the flow to 4,000cfs. And they plan to go down to 3,800cfs on Feb 1, 2025. "Corps officials urge boaters to use extreme caution when at the lakes. Rocks and tree stumps, normally deep underwater, are closer to the surface, some just out of sight, especially in coves and along the shoreline. Boaters should use the main channel whenever possible. All visitors should wear a life jacket whenever in, on or near the water." [USACE_drought]
The above WRDW news release also talked about boating hazards. It seams to me that reducing the flow out of a dam would keep more water in the reservoir. Did the corps officials mean the river level downstream of Thurmond instead of the reservoirs?
Russell Dam
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| USACE Flickr Album |
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| USACE Just four of the units are generators; the other four units are pumps. "The four pump back units at Russell Dam are different than regular generators in that at night, when electrical power demands are low, they can operate in reverse direction to pump water from below the dam back upstream into Russell Lake. Then, the next day when peak power demand occurs, the additional water that has been stored overnight can be used to generate electricity. The Richard B. Russell Project’s pumpback capability is even more critical in periods of drought when the additional peaking capacity afforded by pumpback operation can mitigate capacity shortfalls at other projects." |
I wondered where the pumps were getting their water. This satellite image answers that question. The powerhouse spills into Thurmond Lake rather than the Savannah River. The lake would be deeper than a river at the toe of the dam, thus it can supply the water needed to pump back up into Russell Lake.
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| Satellite |
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