Little Tennessee, river, c.135 mi (220 km) long, rising in the Blue Ridge, NE Ga., and flowing generally NW across SW N.C. and through E Tenn. to the Tennessee River opposite Lenoir City. On the river in North Carolina near the Tennessee line is Fontana Dam (480 ft/146 m high; 2,365 ft/721 m long; completed 1945), impounding Fontana Lake. It is part of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and is the highest dam E of the Rocky Mts. The dam provides flood control, river regulation, and hydroelectricity. Cheoah Dam in North Carolina, and Calderwood and Chilhowee dams in Tennessee are also part of the TVA.
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