Four years later, in late September 1963, the dam was completed and Lake Norman, the state’s largest man-made body of fresh water, was created.

Lake Norman is the largest man-made lake in the state; it was created in 1959 after Duke Energy started building Cowan’s Ford Dam on the Catawba River Chain. Sections.

Duke Energy started construction on Cowans Ford Dam on Sept. 29, 1959. Four years later, in late September 1963, the dam was completed and Lake Norman, the state’s largest man-made body of fresh ...

Lake Norman holds about 38% of the water in the Catawba-Wateree system, Walsh said, while Mountain Island Lake holds only 3%. As water makes its way from Lake James, which is west of Morganton ...

Lake Lure Dam no longer at imminent risk of failure, officials say Channel 9′s Glenn Counts found some residents who heeded a voluntary evacuation order. Shawn Lewis, a Mountain Island Lake ...

Duke Energy's statement does not explicitly address the risk of dam failure at Cowans Ford, but WCNC Charlotte's Brad Panovich previously explained why Lake Norman never rises much above its maximum.

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Duke Energy crews opened the floodgates Friday to the Cowans Ford Dam located near Huntersville on Lake Norman. TRACKING: Flood waters continue to rise after Helene moves out.

North Carolina Highway 73 (NC 73) makes its way into Mecklenburg County downstream of the Cowans Ford Dam between Lake Norman and Mountain Island Lake, as captured on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.