How does one rate a dam? I’m not sure. We jet ski’d over to the dam & sat around & watched a large barge try to go into the navigational lock. It was pretty funny to watch because they hit the wall pretty hard a few times. This dam allows you to move from Lake Barkley to the Cumberland River which connects to the Ohio River. The lock is open 365 days a year, operating from 6:00am to 2:00am daily. This dam also creates electricity. Back in 2012 they opened up tours again for the electro generators. Be café when boating around the dam. They’ve got buoys out warning to not get near the dam where the water intake is.