A closer view of the power plant and dam (picture by Ed). Fontana Dam itself is an engineering marvel. When completed in November 1944 to produce electricity for the war effort, the 480-foot-high dam became the highest in the Eastern United States and the fourth highest in the nation. Because Fontana is a man-made lake (or reservoir), lake levels are controlled by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Each September, TVA begins its annual draw-down, which lowers lake levels to allow for winter snows and spring rains. Sometimes in the winter you can even see remnants of home foundations from towns that were flooded when the lake was constructed.
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