Lake Emory in Franklin, NC: Dam History and Its Future

By Jon Tharp, Broker  ·  October 22, 2026

In 1925, the Town of Franklin funded a $300,000 bond to pay for a dam on the Little Tennessee River, aiming to generate electricity for the local community as well as income from tourism. Removal of that dam has been a topic of concern for over a decade.

The reservoir behind it, Lake Emory, covers 174 acres at full pond. Over the last several decades, the lake has been plagued by the buildup of silt.

A Town-Built Dam on the Little Tennessee

The Franklin dam is a concrete gravity structure about 463 feet long and 36 feet high, with six Tainter gates, two uncontrolled spillways, and a powerhouse integral with the dam. Two 520-kilowatt units give it a total installed capacity of 1.04 megawatts, and the project sits about 21 river miles upstream of Fontana Lake.

The state gazetteer lists Lake Emory at 200 acres with a maximum depth of 20 feet. The FERC project description puts the reservoir at 174 acres. Hydroreform lists the project's mode of generation as run-of-river, and Smoky Mountain News describes run-of-the-river dams as ones where the dam transforms the river behind it into slow-moving backwater, more so than a bona fide lake.

Sources: https://hydroreform.org/hydro-project/franklin-p-2603/, https://www.ncpedia.org/gazetteer/l?page=2, https://smokymountainnews.com/archived/archived-news/to-dukes-chagrin-dredging-may-be-in-the-cards-for-emory/

Ownership History

After one failed attempt to offload the dam to Northwest Carolina Utilities, the town transferred title to Nantahala Power and Light Company in 1932, which later morphed into Duke Energy.

Current ownership records conflict. The hydroreform listing names Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC as owner. Smoky Mountain News reported that Northbrook Power Management owns the dam, and that the same company owns the Mission Dam on the Hiawassee River and the Ela Dam, where it inadvertently released a massive amount of sediment in October 2021, blanketing the downstream reach and severely damaging its aquatic communities. Macon Sense identified Northbrook Carolina Hydro II LLC as running North Carolina operations for parent company Northbrook Energy.

The federal license was issued in September 2011 and expires in August 2041. In January 2025, Northbrook Carolina said the hydroelectricity can provide low-cost power to one in six homes in Franklin, and that its operations strategy coupled with recent good water years had resulted in average energy production two times the average annual production over the prior 30 years.

Sources: https://smokymountainnews.com/archived/archived-outdoors/macon-to-address-floodplain-lake-emory-dam-in-new-year/, https://maconsense.com/2025/01/16/lake-emory-dam-removal-tossed-around-at-planning-meeting/, https://hydroreform.org/hydro-project/franklin-p-2603/

The Sediment Problem

Silt from storm damage and development activities upstream of the dam has built up in the lake over the last several decades. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Duke Energy, studied suspended sediment upstream and downstream from the lake from December 2013 to January 2016. The report's summary notes, as background for the study, that the lake's storage volume, which is necessary for flood control and power generation, has been depleted by sediment deposition.

Loads computed for one week, December 24 to 31, 2015, during which the two largest high-flow events of the study period occurred, were approximately 52 percent of the 2015 annual sediment load at the upstream site and approximately 72 percent at the downstream site. During low to moderate flows, estimated loads were lower downstream, which USGS said suggests that sediment deposition may be occurring in the intervening reach.

When Duke's license for the dam was up for renewal, state and federal environmental agencies imposed new sediment requirements: a sediment pilot study at one of three dams, and a long-term sediment management plan after that. John Dorney of the N.C. Division of Water Quality said backlogged sediment can't be allowed to build up forever: "It becomes one big mud flat." Smoky Mountain News noted there are only two ways to remove sediment: dredge or flush it downstream. Duke District Manager Fred Alexander said at the time, "We are NOT dredging Lake Emory," though Duke might do some "limited sediment removal."

There is a complication. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Mark Cantrell said measurements were indicating excessive levels of copper and other metals in Lake Emory, and that Western Carolina University had detailed studies under way to pinpoint why there's been a mussel-population decline below Lake Emory. At stake, the article said, is 13 miles of the Little Tennessee River, essentially unpolluted, uncontaminated and undeveloped. "It is really incredible," Cantrell said.

Sources: https://www.usgs.gov/publications/characterization-sediment-transport-upstream-and-downstream-lake-emory-little, https://smokymountainnews.com/archived/archived-news/to-dukes-chagrin-dredging-may-be-in-the-cards-for-emory/, https://smokymountainnews.com/archived/archived-outdoors/macon-to-address-floodplain-lake-emory-dam-in-new-year/

The Dam Removal Question

Removal of Lake Emory Dam has been a topic of concern for over a decade, and it found renewed interest amid Macon County's discussions regarding the floodplain.

On Jan. 2, 2025, the Macon County Planning Board voted unanimously to send back the commissioners' request to review the feasibility of removal, agreeing that the parameters of a study would be outside their technical expertise. The board recommended that commissioners hire a third party instead. Member Marty Kimsey said he would prefer to see a free-flowing river but cautioned about sediment moving downstream, the need to engage the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, costs, and wetland protections.

In January 2025, Northbrook Carolina told Macon Sense it did not have a desire to explore dam removal and was not considering any third-party offers for sale at that time, though it could provide basic information to the commissioners' consultants on a confidential basis.

Sources: https://maconsense.com/2025/01/16/lake-emory-dam-removal-tossed-around-at-planning-meeting/, https://smokymountainnews.com/archived/archived-outdoors/macon-to-address-floodplain-lake-emory-dam-in-new-year/

Boating and Paddling Access

Duke Energy put in recreation amenities as a condition of getting its federal hydropower permit renewed for the dam. Smoky Mountain News reported that the improved Lake Emory Access Area on Lakeside Drive opened in September.

The same report said a new canoe portage around the dam was expected to open sometime in late spring, with construction about 97 percent complete and the area to remain closed to the public for a while. The portage will feature a put-in and take-out for kayaks and canoes and a 540-foot trail from the parking lot down to the water, and will provide improved public access to the water's edge.

Source: https://smokymountainnews.com/archived/archived-outdoors/access-on-lake-emory-gets-better/

The Floodplain Ordinance Debate

The planning board took up the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance at the same Jan. 2 meeting as the dam removal discussion. The proposed revision would allow fill on up to 25 percent of the flood fringe area of any property. The Water Quality Advisory Committee was staunchly opposed, advocating instead for a variance process while keeping floodplain protections intact.

Macon County fared better than other WNC counties to the east during Hurricane Helene, but Sheriff's Deputy Jim Lau was the only confirmed death in Macon related to the storm. "Our mountains protect us, but they also funnel all that water into places that people don't think of as being dangerous," Sarah Johnson said during the October planning board meeting.

Source: https://smokymountainnews.com/archived/archived-outdoors/macon-to-address-floodplain-lake-emory-dam-in-new-year/

The Lake Emory Market Right Now

As of October 21, 2026, there were 8 active listings for Franklin properties tagged as lakefront or with lake access in the Carolina Smokies MLS, priced from $8,500 to $450,000 with a middle price around $395,000. The mix: 2 single-family homes, 2 commercial properties, 1 farm, 1 townhome.

Keep Exploring

For the towns nearby, start with Franklin homes for sale. The wider Macon County listings cover the rest of the county.

You may also like more on the area.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Who owns the Lake Emory dam in Franklin NC?

The records conflict. The hydroreform listing for the Franklin project (P-2603) names Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC as owner, while Smoky Mountain News reported that Northbrook Power Management owns the dam. In a January 2025 interview, Northbrook Carolina Hydro II LLC, which runs North Carolina operations for parent company Northbrook Energy, spoke for the Franklin dam and said the facility was providing power to Duke Energy Carolinas under a two-year contract.

Is the Lake Emory dam being removed?

The supplied sources do not establish the current status. On Jan. 2, 2025, the Macon County Planning Board voted unanimously to send back the commissioners' request to review the feasibility of removal and recommended that commissioners hire a third party to conduct a study. In January 2025, Northbrook Carolina said it did not have a desire to explore dam removal.