Woods Reservoir is a 3,600 acre[1] reservoir created by the United States Army Corps of Engineers for use as a cooling system for the United States Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center.[2] The US Air Force and Arnold Engineering Development Center own and operate Woods Reservoir.[1]
| Woods Reservoir | |
|---|---|
  Woods Reservoir | |
| Location | Franklin and Coffee County, Tennessee |
| Coordinates | 35°18′47″N 86°03′43″W / 35.313°N 86.062°W |
| Type | reservoir |
| Basin countries | United States |
The reservoir and dam were built primarily for cooling for the Wind Tunnels that would be built on the base. According to a study by St. Louis, Missouri-based engineering firm Sverdrup & Parcel,[3] the amount of water required annually for AEDC operations would be more than 22.4 billion gallons.[3] Of this, the vast majority – nearly 21 billion gallons – would serve as cooling water for the test facilities. The remainder would be used for air conditioning, sanitary water and fire protection.[3] A pump house was built at the reservoir to pump water to a holding reservoir on base for eventual use.[3]
Woods reservoir was named in honor of the late Col. Lebbeus B. Woods who was responsible for much of the early organizing, staffing and master planning for the center project.[3]
Construction began in late 1950 and Woods Reservoir opened for public fishing and recreation on May 30, 1953[3]
It is located in Franklin and Coffee counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee.[4] At its deepest, the lake reaches 50 feet (15 m) (by the Elk River Dam .) Full pool elevation is 960 feet-mean sea level and winter pool elevation is 957 feet-mean sea level.[1]
Fishing is a popular sport on the reservoir with 4 fishing piers. The best fishing opportunities are for Largemouth Bass, Crappie, White Bass, Yellow Bass, and Channel Catfish.[1]