Percy Priest reservoir was constructed by The Army Corps of Engineers at mile marker 6.8 on the Stone River, and is surrounded by Davidson, Wilson, and Rutherford Counties. Construction of the reservoir started on June 29, 1963. Filling of the reservoir began on September 18, 1967 and the dam went into commercial operation February 3, 1970. The cost of the Percy Priest Project was $53,461,300.
Percy Priest Lake covers an area of 14,400 square acres, and has 265 miles of shoreline. At normal maximum pool the lake storage capacity is 392,000 acre feet of water, with a maximum storage capability of 652,000 acre feet of water. The water shed area of the lake is 892 square miles.
Percy Priest Dam is 147 feet high and 2,716 feet in length, with 2,052.5 feet of that being earth embankment. Construction of the dam required 226,400 cubic yards of concrete; 3,100,500 cubic yards of earth and rock excavation; and 1,788,100 cubic yards of earth and rock fill.
The lake offers a variety of outdoor recreation to over 5,000,000 visitors each year including fishing, camping, boating, canoeing, swimming, skiing, hiking, horseback riding, and much more. Percy Priest Lake is located 10 miles east of Nashville, with major access roads being Highway 41/70S and Interstate 40.
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