Gathright Dam is an earthen and rolled rock-fill

embankment dam An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil or rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface ...

on the Jackson River north of

Covington, Virginia Covington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,737, making it the second-least populous city in Virginia. It is surrounded by Alleghany County, of which it is also the county seat ...

. The dam is tall and long and has a controlled

spillway A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure tha ...

within the structure's southern portion. It creates Lake Moomaw, which has a normal volume of . The dam serves

flood control Flood management or flood control are methods used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters. Flooding can be caused by a mix of both natural processes, such as extreme weather upstream, and human changes to waterbodies and ru ...

and recreational purposes and is operated by the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wor ...

. The Gathright Dam's

intake tower An intake tower or outlet tower is a vertical tubular structure with one or more openings used for capturing water from reservoirs and conveying it further to a hydroelectric or water-treatment plant. Unlike spillways, intake towers are intended ...

contains nine portals that allow it to release water between reservoir depths of . This allows the dam to manage the temperature and flow of water released downstream. This helps mitigate some of the negative environmental effects posed by the dam and manage fisheries downstream. Lake Moomaw is surrounded by protected forest land within the

George Washington and Jefferson National Forests The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests is an administrative entity combining two U.S. National Forests into one of the largest areas of public land in the Eastern United States. The forests cover of land in the Appalachian Moun ...

. The recreational areas of the lake include campgrounds, hiking trails, a manmade beach area, and boating launches. The lake is home to naturally occurring and stocked fish, including

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

trout Trout (: trout) is a generic common name for numerous species of carnivorous freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of which are members of the subfamily Salmoninae in the ...

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order (biology), order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Catfish are common name, named for their prominent barbel (anatomy), barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not ...

crappie Crappies () are two species of North American freshwater fish of the genus ''Pomoxis'' in the family Centrarchidae (sunfishes). Both species of crappies are popular game fish among recreational anglers. Etymology The genus name ''Pomoxi ...

and

perch Perch is a common name for freshwater fish from the genus ''Perca'', which belongs to the family Percidae of the large order Perciformes. The name comes from , meaning the type species of this genus, the European perch (''P. fluviatilis'') ...

History and construction

The Gathright Dam was authorized by

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

with the

Flood Control Act of 1946 The Flood Control Act of 1946 was passed by the United States Congress on July 24, 1946; to authorize 123 projects including several dams and hydroelectric power plants like Old Hickory Lock and Dam in Tennessee and the Fort Randall Dam in South Dak ...

to provide flood protection of industrial, commercial and residential properties along the Jackson and James Rivers, with immediate impact on Covington, Virginia. Benjamin Cline Moomaw, Jr., a Virginian businessman who was influential in gaining approval for the project and is known locally as "the Father of the Gathright Dam" is the namesake for the lake. The dam itself is named after Thomas Gathright, who owned the land that was flooded by the reservoir. Because of setbacks though, construction did not begin until 1974. The dam was finished in 1979 and that December, Lake Moomaw began to fill. The

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

was filled by April 1982. Filling of the reservoir displaced the small town of

Greenwood Green wood is unseasoned wood. Greenwood or Green wood may also refer to: People * Greenwood (surname) Settlements Australia * Greenwood, Queensland, a locality in the Toowoomba Region * Greenwood, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth ...

which had been located at what is now the southern part of Lake Moomaw. The reservoir reached its highest elevation in 1996 at above sea-level. Environmentalists and the EPA challenged the plan for construction on grounds that the scenic Kincade Gorge and important historical and archaeological sites would be destroyed by the lake. Contesting parties suggested that the dam was constructed for the benefit of the Westrock paper mill downstream from the dam in Covington that relied on a regular flow of water to operate.

Instability concerns

In May 2009, the

(USACE) inspected the Gathright Dam as part of Screening Portfolio Risk Analysis and routine inspections. Later in the year on September 2, the USACE assigned the dam a Safety Action Classification (DSAC) II which is defined as "Urgent (Unsafe or Potentially Unsafe)". The rating is attributed to concerns about possible increased seepage at the toe of the dam, and an undetermined flow rate at the river spring downstream, and potential flow channels through

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

below the spillway during pool events above . Because of this rating, the USACE has implemented risk reduction measures which include increased monitoring, updating emergency operation plans and reducing the water level in the reservoir. As of early 2010, the USACE has reduced and continues to maintain the reservoir at an elevation of above sea level compared to the normal level of . Throughout 2010, the USACE conducted safety exercises with local/state officials, conduct a series of investigations on the dam, update inundation mapping and reevaluate the DSAC status. In November 2010, Lake Moomaw was restored to a level of and the DSAC will be reevaluated in the future.

Gallery

Lake Moomaw 2021.jpg, Lake Moomaw as seen from the Bolar loop trail Lake Moomaw 2024-1.jpg, The shores of the lake, further extended due to the fluctuating water levels over the course of the summer months Lake Moomaw 2022-2.jpg, Geological features of the lake Gathright Dam Construction Intake Tower015 (3965685295).jpg, The location of the Gathright Dam in the early stages of construction Gathright Dam Construction Stilling Basin011 (3965707603).jpg, Stilling basin of the dam Gathright Dam Construction Stilling Basin007 (3965725335).jpg, Construction on the stilling basin Lake Moomaw near boat launch (50943264086).png, Boat launch at Lake Moomaw Lake Moomaw 2022-3.jpg, Lake Moomaw sunset

References

External links

USACE - Gathright Dam Action Plan

Gathright Historic
- USACE photo album from construction
Lake Moomaw Water Level
{{authority control Dams in Virginia Buildings and structures in Alleghany County, Virginia Embankment dams United States Army Corps of Engineers dams Dams completed in 1979 Moomaw George Washington and Jefferson National Forests Bodies of water of Alleghany County, Virginia Bodies of water of Bath County, Virginia