Paintsville 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 ...
in
Johnson
Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...
and
Morgan Morgan may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Morgan (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Morgan le Fay, a powerful witch in Arthurian legend
* Morgan (surname), a surname of Welsh origin
* Morgan (singer), ...
counties in eastern
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
. It was impounded from
Paint Creek in 1983 by the
. It is the major attraction of
Paintsville Lake State Park
Paintsville Lake State Park is a park located just west of Paintsville, Kentucky in Johnson County. The park itself encompasses , while Paintsville Lake, its major feature, covers approximately extending into parts of Morgan County.
The park ...
.
History
Paintsville Lake officially opened to the public in 1983, three years before Paintsville Lake State Park was established.
On December 9, 1978, ten-thousand Johnson County residences had to be evacuated from the area below the construction site of the Paintsville Lake dam. This is because the area had recently received eight inches (200 mm) of rain, which had caused a leak in the
coffer dam
A cofferdam is an enclosure built within a body of water to allow the enclosed area to be pumped out. This pumping creates a dry working environment so that the work can be carried out safely. Cofferdams are commonly used for construction or re ...
that was keeping the construction site of the actual dam dry. The dam did not break, and the residents were allowed to return to their homes the following day.
Johnson County History
Retrieved on 2009-06-23
Fish species
Paintsville Lake has a variety of game fishing species. Fish that can be caught in the lake include:[lakelubbers.com-Paintsville Lake]
Retrieved on 2009-06-23
Gallery
File:Paintsville Lake spillway.jpg, Paintsville Lake spillway
File:Paintsville Lake2.jpg, Rocky Knob Recreational Area
File:Paintsville Lake framed.jpg, Paintsville Lake as viewed from the Kiwanis Trail
File:Paintsville Lake emergency spillway.jpg, Paintsville Lake's emergency spillway
See also
*Paintsville Lake State Park
Paintsville Lake State Park is a park located just west of Paintsville, Kentucky in Johnson County. The park itself encompasses , while Paintsville Lake, its major feature, covers approximately extending into parts of Morgan County.
The park ...
References
External links
Paintsville Lake facilities map
1983 establishments in Kentucky
Reservoirs in Kentucky
Protected areas of Johnson County, Kentucky
Protected areas of Morgan County, Kentucky
Dams in Kentucky
United States Army Corps of Engineers dams
Bodies of water of Johnson County, Kentucky
Bodies of water of Morgan County, Kentucky
Infrastructure completed in 1983
{{MorganCountyKY-geo-stub