Jordan Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids B. Everett Jordan Lake |
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| Location | Chatham / Durham counties, North Carolina, USA |
| Coordinates | 35°45′0″N 79°1′30″W / 35.75000°N 79.02500°W |
| Lake type | Reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Haw River, New Hope Creek, Morgan Creek, and Little Creek |
| Primary outflows | Haw River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Managing agency | United States Army Corps of Engineers |
| Max. length | 16 miles (26 km) |
| Max. width | 5 miles (8.0 km) |
| Surface area | 13,940 acres (56.4 km2) 31,800 acres (129 km2) flood control pool |
| Average depth | 14 feet (4.3 m) |
| Max. depth | 38 feet (12 m) |
| Water volume | 45,800 acre-feet (56.5 hm3) |
| Shore length1 | 180 mi (290 km) |
| Surface elevation | 216 ft (66 m) |
| Frozen | never |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
B. Everett Jordan Lake is a reservoir in New Hope Valley, west of Cary and south of Durham in Chatham County, North Carolina, in the United States; the northernmost end of the lake extends into southwestern Durham County.
Part of the Jordan Lake State Recreation Area, the reservoir covers 13,940 acres (5,640 ha) with a shoreline of 180 miles (290 km) at its standard water level of 216 feet (66 m) above sea level. It was developed as part of a flood control project prompted by a particularly damaging tropical storm that hit the region downstream in September 1945. Constructed at an original cost of US $146,300,000, it is owned and operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, which dammed and flooded the Haw River and New Hope River between 1973 and 1983.
Construction
The Jordan Lake Dam (also known as the B. Everett Jordan Project and the New Hope Dam) is located upstream from the mouth of the Haw River in the upper Cape Fear River drainage basin. Completed in 1974 by the Nello L. Teer Company.
During the construction of the reservoir, much of the area was permanently changed. Many farming families were relocated as the project was developed and several roads in eastern Chatham County were either rerouted or taken out of commission completely. Some of the roads were never demolished, but simply allowed to flood over. When the lake is at low water volume, many of these roads can still be seen and some have even been utilized for makeshift boat ramps.
Originally authorized in 1963 as the New Hope Lake Project, the reservoir was renamed in 1974 in memory of B. Everett Jordan, former US Senator from North Carolina.
Jordan Lake serves as a major water supply for about 250,000 (1990) people in North Carolina.
Water quality
On December 21, 2017 Researchers at Duke University have discovered elevated levels of several perfluorinated compounds an unregulated family of industrial chemicals including some that can raise cancer risks in Jordan Lake and drinking water treated by the town of Cary. Cary water treatment officials, who have independently confirmed the findings of Duke researchers, say the town's water is safe to drink. They also point out that the compounds detected are still below health advisory levels set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Testing still continues as of March 8 2018.
Images for kids
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The northern end of Jordan Lake, near the Morgan Creek inlet
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A sign by the lake reads, "Glass / cans and pets prohibited on beach".
