Lake Norman

Cowans Ford Dam created the largest manmade body of fresh water in North Carolina when it dammed the Catawba River in 1963. The total length of the facility is 7,387 feet, including more than a mile of earthen dam. The concrete portion of the dam is 1,279 feet long and 130 feet high.

Lake Norman is an "inland sea" with 520 miles of shoreline and a surface area of more than 32,500 acres. Named after former Duke Power president Norman Cocke, Lake Norman is nearly as large as the other ten lakes on the Catawba combined.

 Lake Norman Facts:

32,500 surface acres of water

34 miles of shoreline & 8 miles across the widest point

520 miles of shoreline

130 feet deep at its deepest point

Holds 3.4 trillion gallons of water