Summersville Lake is a
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contr ...
located in the
US state of
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...
. The
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
is formed by a rock-fill dam (Summersville Dam) on the
Gauley River
The Gauley River is a river in West Virginia. It merges with the New River to form the Kanawha River, a tributary of the Ohio River. The river features numerous recreational whitewater areas, including those in Gauley River National Recreation Ar ...
, south of
Summersville in
Nicholas County. It is the largest lake in West Virginia, with of water and over of shoreline at the summer pool water level. Its maximum depth is 327 feet.
Dam
The lake was constructed between 1960 and 1966 by the
in order to control flooding in an watershed along the Gauley River and the
Kanawha River
The Kanawha River ( ) is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 mi (156 km) long, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The largest inland waterway in West Virginia, its valley has been a significant industrial region of the st ...
. At tall, long, and containing of dirt and rock, the dam itself is the second-largest rock-fill dam in the Eastern United States. President
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
dedicated both the dam and a new Summersville Post Office on September 3, 1966.
Hydroelectric project
In 2001, a two-year project was completed to harness the dam outflow for
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...
power generation. The power plant has a capacity to generate 80-\ megawatts of electricity at peak flow.
Recreation
The lake also serves as a recreation area for fishing, boating, and rock climbing,
as well as
snorkeling
Snorkeling ( British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped breathing tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters ...
and
scuba diving
Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for " Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chr ...
. It serves as the eastern (upstream) end of
Gauley River National Recreation Area
The Gauley River National Recreation Area, located near Summersville, West Virginia, protects a portion of the Gauley River and a segment of the Meadow River in southern West Virginia. Little of the national recreation area is accessible via ...
. There is a small boat under the lake that was intentionally sunk to give divers something to view while scuba diving. Beyond the bridge that Route 19 crosses over the lake is a no-wake zone for casual boating. Located on the cliffs of Summersville Lake is the only working lighthouse in West Virginia, the Summersville Lake Lighthouse. Cliff Jumping has been banned at Summersville Lake since 2007.
Gallery
Image:SummersvilleDam.jpg, Summersville Dam.
Image:SummersvilleLake.jpg, Aerial view of the lake.
Image:Summersvilledamspillway.jpg, Spillway and tailwaters.
Image:Summersvilledamspillwaycloseup.jpg, Detail of spillway.
References
External links
Summersville Lake water levels and out followArmy Corps of Engineers Summersville Lake siteEnel North America operates the powerplant
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Bodies of water of Nicholas County, West Virginia
Reservoirs in West Virginia
Dams in West Virginia
United States Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District
Hydroelectric power plants in West Virginia
United States Army Corps of Engineers dams
Dams completed in 1966
Energy infrastructure completed in 1966
1966 establishments in West Virginia
IUCN Category V