The Wallace Dam is one of two dams on the Oconee River, south of Athens, which turn the river into a swollen recreational lake, 40 miles long. It opened in 1979, and was built by the Georgia Power Company. The power house at the dam has six turbines, producing 320 megawatts, four of which are reversible turbine/generators, enabling it to produce additional power at peak times, and helping to stabilize the water level in the recreational lakes. It is one of three pumped storage facilities in Georgia that use existing reservoirs along rivers, not isolated off-stream storage reservoirs.