The Bhadra River rises at Samse in the Western Ghats Aroli hill range of Kudremukh range, and flows east across the Deccan Plateau. It is joined by its tributaries, the Somavahini (drains from a crater and meets Bhadra River at Hebbe), Thadabehalla, and Odirayanahalla. The river flows through the city of Bhadravathi and the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary. The Bhadra meets the Tunga River at Koodli, a small town near Shivamogga. The combined river continues east as the Tungabhadra, a major tributary of the Krishna, which empties into the Bay of Bengal. The Bhadra Dam is built across the Bhadra River in Lakkavalli- Tarikere Taluk. Lies from Singanahalli village (Bhadravathi taluk) , from Lakkavalli village (Tarikere taluk) and upstream of the confluence of the Bhadra River and Tungabhadra River. Shimoga city is located north of the dam. The Bhadra Dam drains a catchment area of out of which the forest area is , cultivable land is and fallow land is . A number of industries, urban and rural settlements dependent on assured water supply lie on the banks of the river and in the project command area; Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd, the Mysore Paper Mills and Vishweshvarayya Iron and Steel Industries are the major industrial activity noted in the command area of the project.