18,500 acres
About 29 square miles of surface water — a quarter bigger than Manhattan. It reads smaller from shore because the lake is a maze of arms and coves, not one open basin.
Lake Keowee by the numbers
SCDNR + Duke Energy figures387 miles of shoreline
More coastline than the drive from Seneca to Washington, DC. That's what a drowned river valley does — every ridge becomes a peninsula, every creek a cove.
53 ft average · ~155 ft max
The deepest water sits in the old Keowee River channel near the dams. See exactly where on our 3D depth map — and ignore the "300 feet deep" myth that circulates online.
800 ft above sea level
That's full pond. Duke keeps Keowee within a few feet of it year-round — today's exact reading is on the live level page.
~26 miles long
Roughly 26 miles end to end and about 3 across at its widest — an hour's cruise from the Highway 130 crossing to the south dams if you don't stop. You'll stop.
Born 1971
Duke Energy impounded the Keowee River to cool the Oconee Nuclear Station and spin hydro turbines. Under the water: the Cherokee town of Keowee and Fort Prince George.
Lake Jocassee by the numbers
the deep one7,500 acres · 75 mi shoreline
Less than half Keowee's size, ringed by mountains instead of neighborhoods — most of its shore is protected gorge country.
157 ft average · ~351 ft max
Three times deeper than Keowee on average. Divers visit a drowned lodge near the bottom. Feel the difference on the depth map — drain both lakes and watch which one keeps going.
1,110 ft above sea level · born 1973
Jocassee is the upper half of Duke's pumped-storage battery: water runs downhill to make power when demand spikes and gets pumped back up overnight. That's why its level swings while Keowee holds steady.
Sources: surface area, shoreline, and depth figures are from the SC Department of Natural Resources (Jocassee); elevations and operations from Duke Energy. Where a number is commonly repeated online but unofficial — like "300 feet deep" — we've said so.
Quick answers
How big is Lake Keowee?
18,500 acres — about 29 square miles — with 387 miles of shoreline, roughly 26 miles long and 3 miles wide at its widest.
How deep is Lake Keowee?
53 feet on average, about 155 feet at its deepest point in the old river channel near the dams. The oft-quoted "297–300 feet" figure is a myth.
Is Lake Jocassee deeper than Lake Keowee?
Much deeper — 157 feet on average versus Keowee's 53, with a maximum around 351 feet.
Why was Lake Keowee built?
Duke Energy created it in 1971 to cool the Oconee Nuclear Station and generate hydropower; Jocassee (1973) stores energy as pumped water uphill.