The lake was created by the Norris Dam at the Cove Creek Site on the Clinch River in 1936 by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for flood control, water storage, and hydroelectric power.

[2] Norris Dam was primarily built for flood control in the area and it still serves that purpose today.

[5][6][7] The TVA has put into effect a clean water initiative to improve the cleanliness of the lake.

[5] Norris Lake lies in the Great Appalachian Valley of East Tennessee and its shore land covers about 375 square miles around the 52.9 square miles that the reservoir covers.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) has a program established to sink old Christmas trees to provide underwater structure for fish attraction.

[11] The vegetation type around Norris lake is known as Appalachian oak forest.

Other sources of income for the area are in the industries of garment, coal, timber, and nuclear power.

It has several conservation lands such as Norris Dam State Park, The Cove Creek Wildlife Management Area, and Chuck Swan State Forest that offer hiking and other activities and protect undeveloped areas.