Leesville Lake
Encyclopedia
Leesville Lake is a reservoir
in Virginia
, the United States
used for Hydro-Electric power generation in conjunction with Smith Mountain Lake
as a pump storage project.
The smaller and lower of the two lakes, Leesville Lake, covers 3,270 acres (13 km²) and contains 94900 acre.ft of water at full pond. It is located southeast of Roanoke, Virginia
, and southwest of Lynchburg, Virginia
.
Initial proposals were made in the late 1920s to dam the Roanoke River
and the Blackwater River at the Smith Mountain gorge to generate electricity
. 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 for striped bass
. Boating
, water skiing
, wakeboarding
, and riding personal watercraft are also common activities.
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
used for Hydro-Electric power generation in conjunction with Smith Mountain Lake
Smith Mountain Lake
Smith Mountain Lake is a large reservoir in the Roanoke Region of Virginia, located southeast of the City of Roanoke and southwest of Lynchburg. The lake was created in 1963 by the Smith Mountain Dam impounding the Roanoke River. The majority of the south shore of the lake lies in Franklin County...
as a pump storage project.
The smaller and lower of the two lakes, Leesville Lake, covers 3,270 acres (13 km²) and contains 94900 acre.ft of water at full pond. It is located southeast of Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
, and southwest of Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in...
.
Initial proposals were made in the late 1920s to dam the Roanoke River
Roanoke River
The Roanoke River is a river in southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States, 410 mi long. A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the Appalachian Mountains southeast across the Piedmont...
and the Blackwater River at the Smith Mountain gorge to generate electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
. Construction of the Smith Mountain Dam
Smith Mountain Dam
Smith Mountain Dam is concrete arch dam located on the Roanoke River in Virginia, creating Smith Mountain Lake. The dam was built by Appalachian Power between 1960 and 1963 for the purposes of hydroelectricity via pumped-storage hydroelectricity...
began in 1960 and was completed in 1963.
The area lies in a broad valley nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
of rural southwestern Virginia of the Appalachian chain
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
. 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
American Electric Power
American Electric Power is a major investor-owner electric utility in various parts of the United States. AEP ranks among the nation's largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S...
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
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
is very popular, especially for striped bass
Striped bass
The striped bass is the state fish of Maryland, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and the state saltwater fish of New York, Virginia, and New Hampshire...
. Boating
Boating
Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels , focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, such as fishing or water skiing...
, water skiing
Water skiing
thumb|right|A slalom skier making a turn on a slalom waterski.Waterskiing is a sport where an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation on a body of water, skimming the surface.-History:...
, wakeboarding
Wakeboarding
Wakeboarding is a surface water sport which involves riding a wakeboard over the surface of a body of water. It was developed from a combination of water skiing, snow boarding and surfing techniques....
, and riding personal watercraft are also common activities.