John H. Kerr Dam is
concrete gravity-
dam located on the
Roanoke River in
Virginia, creating
Kerr Lake. The dam was built by the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1947 and 1953 for the purposes of
flood control, and
hydropower. The dam also serves wildlife resources, forest conservation, and public recreational uses. The John H. Kerr Dam currently produces over 426 GWh of electricity annually and has prevented over $385 million in flood damage since completion. The dam is named after
John H. Kerr, a Congressman from
North Carolina who was instrumental in authorizing the construction.