Cheat Lake is a
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
on the
Cheat River
The Cheat River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed August 15, 2011 tributary of the Monongahela River in eastern West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the Uni ...
in
Monongalia County,
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
It was originally named Lake Lynn, but the
Board on Geographic Names
The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal govern ...
officially decided upon Cheat Lake as the reservoir's name in 1976.
The surface area of Cheat Lake is about , the volume is approximately , and it is located immediately downstream of the
Cheat Canyon
Cheat Canyon — also called Cheat River Canyon or Cheat River Gorge — is a long, forested Canyon of the Cheat River at the western edge of the Allegheny Mountains in northeastern West Virginia, United States. A popular whitewater venue, for ...
.
Cheat Lake has 3 marinas located towards the river end of the reservoir. They are Edgewater Marina, Cheat Lake Marina, and Sunset Beach Marina.
Cheat Lake Dam is located directly south of the
Mason–Dixon line
The Mason–Dixon line, also called the Mason and Dixon line or Mason's and Dixon's line, is a demarcation line separating four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia (part of Virginia ...
border with
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. The dam is run by eleven employees and has a generating capacity of .
Cheat Lake Dam's total length across the Cheat River is approximately . The first water flowed over the dam on December 23, 1925
and it began its operation on May 31, 1926.
See also
*
Mont Chateau State Park, a former state park (1955–1977) along Cheat Lake
*
Coopers Rock State Forest
Coopers Rock State Forest is a state forest in Monongalia and Preston counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Its southern edge abuts Cheat Lake and the canyon section of Cheat River, a popular whitewater rafting river in the eastern Unite ...
*
Snake Hill Wildlife Management Area
References
External links
CheatLake.com Informational website about Cheat Lake and surrounding area. Provides a map of the lake and details about the marinas & restaurants.
*
{{authority control
Energy infrastructure completed in 1925
Bodies of water of Monongalia County, West Virginia
Reservoirs in West Virginia
Hydroelectric power plants in West Virginia
Historic American Engineering Record in West Virginia