Bluestone Lake is a

flood control Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...

reservoir located on the New River near Hinton, West Virginia. At its normal pool level, Bluestone Dam impounds a stretch of the New and its tributary, the

Bluestone River The Bluestone River is a tributary of the New River, 77 mi (124 km) long, in southwestern Virginia and southern West Virginia in the United States.Giles County, Virginia.

Bluestone Dam

The lake is formed by Bluestone Dam, a concrete gravity dam located just upstream of the confluence of the New and Greenbrier Rivers. The dam is high and long. The dam was authorized by Presidential

Executive Order In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of th ...

in 1935 and approved by the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

in the Flood Control Acts of 1936 and 1938. Construction of the project was begun in early 1941, suspended in 1944 because of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Work resumed in 1946, and completed for operational purposes in 1949. In recent years, it was discovered that Bluestone Dam would be unable to pass the Probable Maximum Flood possible at the site, which could cause failure of the dam. To remedy the problem, the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

has undertaken a Dam Safety Assurance program for Bluestone. The DSA project includes raising the dam by , installing anchors and thrust blocks to tie the dam into bedrock, spillway improvements and other work. The first phase of the project was completed in October 2004. The second phase, installing bedrock anchors, was completed in 2011. Three additional phases remain to be constructed.

Recreation

Due to its large size, Bluestone Lake provides many recreational opportunities including boating and fishing. The

West Virginia Division of Natural Resources The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) is an agency of the government of the U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state ...

operates

Bluestone State Park Bluestone State Park is a state park in Summers County, West Virginia. The park is located along the western shore of Bluestone Lake, an impoundment of the New River built and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The park and lake ar ...

and

Bluestone Wildlife Management Area Bluestone Wildlife Management Area (also known as Bluestone Lake Wildlife Management Area) is a wildlife management area in southern West Virginia surrounding Bluestone Lake and the New River. The section of the lake from just upstream of the Bl ...

, each encompassing portions of the lake. Camping and other activities are available in these facilities.

References

External links

US Army Corps of Engineers: Bluestone Lake
{{authority control Protected areas of Giles County, Virginia Reservoirs in Virginia Reservoirs in West Virginia Protected areas of Mercer County, West Virginia Protected areas of Monroe County, West Virginia Protected areas of Summers County, West Virginia United States Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District Dams in West Virginia United States Army Corps of Engineers dams Dams completed in 1949 Bodies of water of Giles County, Virginia Bodies of water of Mercer County, West Virginia Bodies of water of Monroe County, West Virginia Bodies of water of Summers County, West Virginia

Bluestone Dam

Recreation

See also

References

External links