Falls Lake

For the recreation area on Falls Lake, see Falls Lake State Recreation Area. For the Yadkin River lake sometimes called "Falls Lake", see Falls Reservoir.

Falls Lake is a 12,410 acre (50 km²) reservoir located in Durham, Wake, and Granville counties in North Carolina, United States. It extends 28 miles (45 km) up the Neuse River to its source at the confluence of the Eno, Little, and Flat rivers, and has a shoreline of 175 miles (280 km).

Falls Lake
Falls Lake Show map of North Carolina Falls Lake Show map of the United States
Location	Durham / Wake / Granville counties, North Carolina, US
Coordinates	36°1′N 78°43′W
Lake type	reservoir
Primary inflows	Eno River, Flat River, Little River
Primary outflows	Neuse River
Basin countries	United States
Surface area	12,410 acres (5,000 ha)
Shore length1	175 miles (280 km)
Surface elevation	251.5 feet (76.7 m)
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

The lake is named for the Falls of the Neuse, a once whitewater section of the river that fell from the Piedmont into the lower Coastal Plain submerged during construction of the lake.

The lake provides drinking water for several of the surrounding communities, including the city of Raleigh, aids with flood control and serves as a recreation area and wildlife habitat.

Work on the dam that holds the lake began in 1978 and was completed in 1981. Prior to its construction flooding of the Neuse River caused extensive damage to public and private properties including roadways, railroads, industrial sites and farmlands. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed and manages the dam. Falls Dam (35°56′30″N 78°34′57″W) is an earthen structure having a top elevation of 291.5 feet (88.8 m) and an overall length of 1,915 feet (584 m). The height above the streambed is 92.5 feet (28 m).

Falls Lake near the Falls Lake Dam

See also

• Falls Lake State Recreation Area

External links

• Falls Lake State Recreation Area Archived 2013-10-24 at the Wayback Machine
• Falls Lake water level plot (1983-present)
• "Falls Dam Project". U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Retrieved 2008-11-10.
• Media related to Falls Lake at Wikimedia Commons
• "Falls Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2009-05-03.