North Fork Pound Reservoir

North Fork of Pound Lake
Location	Wise County, Virginia, United States
Coordinates	37°07′29″N 82°37′50″W / 37.12472°N 82.63056°W / 37.12472; -82.63056Coordinates: 37°07′29″N 82°37′50″W / 37.12472°N 82.63056°W / 37.12472; -82.63056
Lake type	reservoir
Primary inflows	North Fork Pound River
Primary outflows	North Fork Pound River
Basin countries	United States
Surface area	154 acres (62 ha)[1]
Average depth	19 feet (6 m)[1]
Max. depth	55 feet (17 m)[1]
Shore length1	13.5 miles (21.7 m)[1]
Surface elevation	1,601 feet (488 m)
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

North Fork Pound Reservoir (also known as North Fork of Pound Lake) is a reservoir in Wise County, Virginia. It was impounded from the North Fork of Pound River in 1966 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

General

The North Fork of Pound River is a part of the upper reaches of the Big Sandy system. On its way to the Ohio River, the waters from North Fork flow northeast and meet the South Fork River to form the Pound River. The Pound River then flows into the Russell Fork River near Haysi, Virginia. The Russell Fork cuts through the Allegheny Mountain range to join the Levisa Fork then meets the Tug Fork at Louisa and forms the Big Sandy River.^[2]

History

Construction began in 1966 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under the Flood Control Act of 1960. The rock fill dam was completed in 1963 at a cost of $6.2 million. The dam is 122 feet (37 m) high and 600 feet (180 m) long. Water releases from the dam are controlled by three gates (3 feet wide, 6 feet (1.8 m) high) located in the intake structure. Lake elevation is maintained at 1,601 feet (488 m) above sea level. During the fall the lake elevation is lowered 10 feet (3.0 m) to hold water from fall and spring runoff. The lake covers 154 acres (0.62 km²) and includes 13.5 miles (21.7 km) of wooded shoreline. The U.S. Forest Service obtained ownership of the lands surrounding the lake in 1983.^[2]

See also

• Lakes of Virginia
• US Army Corps of Engineers
• Pound, Virginia
• John W. Flanagan Dam and Reservoir

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} North Fork of Pound Lake Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Retrieved on 2010-06-23
2. ^ ^{a b} United States Army Corps of Engineers Retrieved on 2010-06-23