*Lake Keowee is a reservoir created by Keowee Dam and Little River Dam. It impounds the Keowee River and the Little River, each of which exits through its respective dam. The two rivers join just below the dams and their confluence forms the Seneca River, a tributary of the Savannah River. Lake Keowee is used as cooling water for three nuclear reactors located at the Oconee Nuclear Generating Station which are owned by Duke Energy Corporation. Water is also used for hydroelectic power generation.
The Keowee River, now inundated by Lake Keowee, was the heart of the Cherokee Lower Towns region. The principal Lower Town, Keowee was on the bank of the river and gave both the river and the lake their names.