Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam. This earthen dam is over one mile (1.6 km) long but this photograph shows only the concrete and steel lock and water control structure of the dam. Sneads, FL is on the left and Chattahoochee, FL is on the right.
Authorized by the United States Congress in the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1946 as the Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam Project,[4] construction began the following year. With the dam completed in 1952,[5] in 1957 the lake was opened.[4] The project was expected to cost $29 million USD,[6] but when completed had required $46.5 million USD.[7] The lake is named after the Seminole Indians.[8]
The Jim Woodruff Dam, located about 1,000 feet (300 m) south of the original confluence of the Chattahoochee River, Flint River and Spring Creek to form the Apalachicola River[9] and with a spillway 2,224 feet (678 m) wide,[5] is a hydroelectric and navigational dam named in honor of James W. Woodruff, Sr., a Georgia businessman who spearheaded the development of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Project.[9]
The dam crosses the state line between Georgia and Florida, with the eastern end of the dam being located in Georgia and the majority, including the locks, gates, spillway, and powerhouse, all being within Florida, just 100 feet south of the southwest corner of Georgia.[citation needed]
Navigation
The Jim Woodruff Dam has a single lock, 450 feet (140 m) in length and 82 feet (25 m) wide,[5] that provides navigational access to the lake and the upstream rivers from the Apalachicola River and Gulf of Mexico. Lake Seminole extends upstream along the Chattahoochee River for 30 miles (48 km) and up the Flint River for 35 miles (56 km).[7]
Fort Scott was built in 1816 on the west bank of the Flint River, just before it empties into the Apalachicola. The intent was to protect what was then the southern border of the United States (the border between Georgia and Florida), subject to various types of invaders operating through or out of Spanish territory. The Fort was abandoned after Florida became a U.S. territory in 1821 and there was no longer a border to defend. The area around the site was flooded due to the creation of the lake, thus the land which the fort resided became an island.
Notes
Lake Seminole is known for its large bass fishing during the summer and duck hunting in the early winter. It has also been a location of preference for the well-renowned Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.) fishing tournaments.
^For many years, The Canada goose was protected throughout most of Florida, with one exception, it was legal to hunt the goose on Lake Seminole.[2] However, increases in the feral population has led to the season being opened statewide.[3]
References
Notes
^Lake Seminole page, main page, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website
^ abFWCC: Waterfowl and coot season dates set (2007)
