SHORELINES

28 a p c s hor e l i n e s.c om | 2016 Vol :2 superintendent Martin Windham said on a recent tour of the facility. H. Neely Henry's three units generate up to 24,300 kilowatts apiece. They're powered by the original 33,000-horsepower hydraulic turbines, each weighing 98,000 pounds and measuring 21 feet 4 inches in diameter. Each unit can discharge more than four million gallons of water a minute. While hydroelectric power makes up only about 6 percent of the Alabama Power energy mix – slightly more in rainy seasons – it has an outsize importance to the state. "Hydro plants are capable of starting up during a crisis, without any outside assistance," said Windham. "Our backup battery system allows us to get a unit back online in case of emergency or a power outage." H. Neely Henry is also critical to some local economic powerhouses. "We have an emergency line to the Honda plant in Lincoln, and we also have a straight line to Gulf States Steel Inc.," said Windham. "I'm not sure any other single event has had a more profound effect on economic development in Etowah County," said Glen Porter, publisher of The Gadsden Times. "Alabama Power's decision to build the dam has probably meant hundreds of millions of dollars a year to our area for more than five decades." Construction on the dam began in August 1962. The first unit went online June 2, 1966. It was dedicated to and named after H. Neely Henry, an Alabama Power senior executive vice president. The dam was one of six built by Alabama Power in a busy period from 1957-1968. During this time the company's oldest structure, Lay Dam (1914), also on the Coosa River, was refurbished. The region had a long association with Alabama Power even before the dam was built. The company's first steam plant was Plant Gadsden, which began operating in 1913. But the H. Neely Henry Dam changed the face and the future of the area. "The two largest areas of impact have been recreation and flood control," said Heather Brothers New, president of the Chamber Gadsden Etowah County. "It made it possible for communities like Southside, Rainbow City and Glencoe to develop land along the river," said Porter. Indeed, you can see the development at places like Little Bridge Marina near Southside. The marina houses a popular restaurant, Local Joe's; a meeting and event space; and facilities for boaters such as launch ramps and a fuel dock. Then there's Coosa Landing, which has hosted numerous big-name sport- fishing tournaments. "I think there's a fishing tournament every single weekend in June," said Brothers New. "At any given time you can drop by the Coosa Landing and see hundreds of fishermen going out or coming back from a tournament." "A lot of tournaments are won here by the fishing boat docks," said Jamie Horton, B.A.S.S. Nation Above: Photo by ted tuCkeR — Martin Windham, Neely Henry Dam superintendent, inspects a spinning turbine.

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