The Claytor Dam is a

gravity dam A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation to oppose the horizontal pressure of water pushing against it. ...

on the New River in

Pulaski County, Virginia Pulaski County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,800. Its county seat is Pulaski. Pulaski County is part of the Blacksburg– Christiansburg, VA Metropolit ...

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 territorie ...

. It is also located about south of Radford. It is named after

William Graham Claytor William Graham Claytor (December 20, 1886 – February 28, 1971), of Roanoke, Virginia, was the vice president of Appalachian Power Company, an electric utility service. He is best remembered for supervising the construction of the Claytor Dam ...

, then vice president of Appalachian Power Company (APC), who was instrumental in the dam's construction. APC is now a subsidiary of

American Electric Power American Electric Power (AEP), (railcar reporting mark: AEPX) is a major investor-owned electric utility in the United States, delivering electricity to more than five million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation's largest gen ...

(AEP) who owns the dam. The primary purpose of the dam is

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

power generation and it supports a 75 MW power station. Its reservoir,

Claytor Lake Claytor Lake in Pulaski County, Virginia, is a , reservoir on the New River (Kanawha River), New River, created for an Appalachian Power, Appalachian Power Company hydroelectric project. It is named for W. Graham Claytor, W. Graham Claytor, Sr. (1 ...

, is also used for recreation. The dam was constructed and its power station commissioned in 1939. It received its first license in 1943. It is long and tall. It stores a reservoir with a capacity of . The reservoir covers and stretches behind the dam.

References

{{stack, {{Portal, Virginia, Water, Renewable energy Dams in Virginia Gravity dams Hydroelectric power plants in Virginia Energy infrastructure completed in 1939 Dams completed in 1939 Buildings and structures in Pulaski County, Virginia 1939 establishments in Virginia American Electric Power