Summersville Lake

Infobox_Dam
dam_name=Summersville Dam


caption=Summersville Lake
official_name=
crosses=Gauley River
reservoir=Summersville Lake
locale=Summersville, West Virginia
maint=U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District
length=convert|2280|ft|m
height=convert|390|ft|m
width=
began= 1960
open= 1966
closed=
cost=
reservoir_capacity=
reservoir_catchment=
reservoir_surface=convert|2700|acre|km2
bridge_carries=
bridge_width=
bridge_clearance=
bridge_traffic=
bridge_toll=
bridge_id=
map_cue=
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map_text=
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coordinates= coord|38.2231|N|80.8907|W|region:US_type:waterbody|display=inline,title
lat=
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Summersville Lake is a man-made reservoir located in the US state of West Virginia. The lake is formed by a rock-fill dam (Summersville Dam) on the Gauley River, south of Summersville in Nicholas County. It is the largest lake in West Virginia, with convert|2700|acre of water and over convert|60|mi|km of shoreline at the summer pool water level.

Dam

The lake was constructed between 1960 and 1966 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers in order to control flooding in an convert|803|sqmi|km2|sing=on watershed along the Gauley River and the Kanawha River. At convert|390|ft|m tall, convert|2280|ft|m long, and containing convert|12000000|cuyd|m3 of dirt and rock, the dam itself is the second-largest rock-fill dam in the Eastern United States. President Lyndon B. Johnson dedicated both the dam and a new Summersville Post Office on September 3, 1966.

The US Corps of Engineers broke a long-standing tradition in naming what was called the Summersville Project. Tradition holds that the project will be named after the town nearest the site of construction, unless named for a person (such as Hoover Dam). However, the town of Summersville was not the one nearest the dam. The village of Gad (located near the present-day marina) was literally flooded at the opening of the reservoir. After briefly considering the name "Gad Dam," it was instead decided to name the project after the next nearest town – Summersville.

Hydroelectric project

In 2001, a two-year project was completed to harness the dam outflow for hydroelectric power generation. The power plant has a capacity to generate 80-megawatts of electricity at peak flow. The thunderous noise caused by the plumes of water the formerly sounded from the base of Summersville Dam have been replaced by the quiet hum of electric generators.

Recreation

The lake also serves as a recreation area for fishing, boating, rock climbing, as well as snorkling and scuba diving. It serves as the eastern (upstream) end of Gauley River National Recreation Area, considered to be one of the best whitewater rafting sites in the world.

Gallery

External links

* [http://www.class-vi.com/summersville-lake.cfm Summersville Lake water levels and out follow]
* [http://www.lrh.usace.army.mil/projects/lakes/sum/ Army Corps of Engineers Summersville Lake site]
* [http://www.kassociates.com/pds/engineering/summersville.htm Engineering firm responsible for the powerplant]
* [http://www.enel.it/northamerica/powerPlantsDett.asp?reg=se&sm=5 Enel North America operates the powerplant]
* [http://www.summersvilletv.com/videoArchive/CVB_Hydro/genericVideoPlayer.swf Video tour of the powerplant]
* [http://www.summersvilletv.com/videoArchive/goodGauley/genericVideoPlayer.swf Video of Gauley Whitewater below the Dam]
* [http://www.summersvilletv.com/videoArchive/damConstruction_02/genericVideoPlayer.swf The Construction of Summersville Dam Video]