The Claytor Dam is a

gravity dam A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation. Gravity dams are designed so that each section of the dam is ...

on the New River in

Pulaski County, Virginia Pulaski County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,800. Its county seat is Pulaski. Pulaski County is part of the Blacksburg-Christiansburg metropolitan a ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It is located about south of Radford. It is named after William Graham Claytor, then vice president of Appalachian Power Company (APC), who was instrumental in the dam's construction. APC is now a subsidiary of

American Electric Power American Electric Power Company, Inc. (AEP), (railcar reporting mark: AEPX) is an American domestic electric utility company in the United States. It is one of the largest electric utility companies in the country, with more than five mi ...

(AEP), which owns the dam. The primary purpose of the dam is

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

power generation and it supports a 75 MW power station. Its reservoir,

Claytor Lake Claytor Lake in Pulaski County, Virginia, is a , reservoir on the New River, created for an Appalachian Power Company (APC) hydroelectric project. It is named for William Graham Claytor, Sr. (1886–1971) of Roanoke, Virginia, a vice presiden ...

, is also used for recreation. The dam was constructed and its power station commissioned in 1939. It received its first license in 1943. It is long and tall. It stores a reservoir with a capacity of . The reservoir covers and stretches behind the dam.

References

{{stack} Dams in Virginia Gravity dams Hydroelectric power plants in Virginia Energy infrastructure completed in 1939 Dams completed in 1939 Buildings and structures in Pulaski County, Virginia 1939 establishments in Virginia American Electric Power

See also

References