- Leesville Lake
Infobox lake
lake_name = Leesville Lake
image_lake =
caption_lake =
image_bathymetry =
caption_bathymetry =
location =Pittsylvania County, Virginia
coords = coord|37|05|34|N|079|24|06|W|region:US-VA_type:waterbody_source:gnis|display=inline,title
type =reservoir
inflow =
outflow =
catchment =
basin_countries = United States
length =
width =
area = convert|3270|acre|km2
depth =
max-depth = convert|31|ft|m
volume =
residence_time =
shore =
elevation = convert|548|ft|m
islands =
cities =Leesville Lake is an
artificial lake inVirginia , theUnited States used for Hydro-Electric power generation in conjunction withSmith Mountain Lake as a pump storage project.The smaller and lower of the two lakes, Leesville covers 3,270 acres (13 km²) and contains 94,900 acre feet (117,000,000 m³) of water at full pond. It is located southeast of
Roanoke, Virginia , and southwest ofLynchburg, Virginia .Initial proposals were made in the late 1920s to dam the
Roanoke River and the Blackwater River at the Smith Mountain gorge to generateelectricity . Construction of the Smith Mountain Dam began in 1960 and was completed in 1963.The area lies in a broad valley nestled in the
Blue Ridge Mountains of rural southwestern Virginia of the Appalachian chain. Before the lake's creation, farming and logging were the primary industries.The dam produces hydro-electric power mostly during hours of peak demand on the
American Electric Power system. Water passes from Smith Mountain lake through generators to Leesville Lake, producing power. In times of low demand, the generators are used as pumps to reverse the flow and return the water to Smith Mountain Lake.This takes advantage of the more or less constant output of Steam generation plants in off-peak periods. Leesville Lake has a maximum refill rate of 1.33 feet (41 cm) per hour and a maximum drawdown rate of 0.46 feet (14 cm) per hour.
Leesville Lake is becoming a popular recreational area.
Fishing is very popular, especially forstriped bass .Boating ,water skiing ,wakeboarding , and ridingpersonal watercraft are also common activities.Development
Since the 1960s, the area around Leesville Lake has remained relatively rural and remote with mostly corn, tobacco, small family farms and other agriculture. The limited early residential developments around the lake consisted largely of family farms. Since about 2004, however, residential growth has begun to expand rather quickly and lakefront homes and communities now dot the shoreline.
External links
* [http://www.aep.com/ American Electric Power website]
* [http://www.leesvillelake.org/ The Leesville Lake Association website]
* [http://www.smith-mountain-lake.com/ SML website]
* [http://www.smithmtn.com/Project%20Description/Smith%20Mountain/smithmountdam.htm SML Dam website]
* [http://www.leesvillelake.net/ Leesville Lake Links]
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