East Lynn 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 East Fork Twelvepole Creek in Wayne 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 Bur ...

. The lake is operated by the

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

, Huntington District, as part of a series of

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 ...

projects for the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

basin.

History

East Lynn Lake was originally authorized 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 1938 following the devastating Flood of 1937. Like many other projects authorized in this era, construction did not actually take place until much later. Construction occurred about 1969Date on East Lynn Lake outlet structure.-1970 with the intended purposes of flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife management. East Lynn Lake was established as the project's official name in 1971. Construction of the lake resulted in the destruction of the town of Stiltner at the mouth of Brush Creek. It also required the relocation of a large stretch of

West Virginia Route 37 West Virginia Route 37 is an east–west state highway in western West Virginia. The western terminus of the route is at the Kentucky state line in Fort Gay, where WV 37 becomes Kentucky Route 3 Spur upon crossing the Tug Fork. The eastern t ...

, which formerly followed the East Fork Twelvepole Creek valley that was inundated by the lake. '

Today

East Lynn Lake is home to 29 species of fish indigenous to southern West Virginia as well as

carp Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. While carp is consumed in many parts of the world, they are generally considered an invasive species in parts of ...

and other non-native species. The lake is regularly stocked by 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 ...

, which manages the lake and surrounding land as East Lynn Lake Wildlife Management Area. The lake has both wake-permitted and no wake zones, which makes it popular for both fishing and water skiing. The Army Corps of Engineers maintains several recreational areas including a campground at the lake. There is also a marina near the dam.

References

External links

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers site for East Lynn Lake
{{authority control Bodies of water of Wayne County, West Virginia Reservoirs in West Virginia United States Army Corps of Engineers dams Dams in West Virginia Dams completed in 1971 IUCN Category V