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Smith Mountain Lake
Smith Mountain Lake -
Location Virginia
Lake type artificial lake
Primary inflows Roanoke River, Blackwater River
Basin countries United States
Surface area 32 sq mi (83 km²)[1]
Average depth 55 ft (17 m)[1]
Max. The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state A lake (from Latin lacus) is a Terrain feature (or Physical feature) a body of Liquid on the surface of a world that is localized to the A reservoir is most broadly a place or hollow vessel where Fluid is kept in Reserve, for later use In Hydrology, the inflow of a Body of water is the source of the Water in the body of water The Roanoke River is a river in southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States, 410 mi (660 km long The Blackwater River of southeastern Virginia flows from its source near the city of Petersburg Virginia for about 105 miles (170 km through the Inner Coastal Plain A drainage basin is an extent of Land where Water from Rain or Snow melt drains downhill into a body of water such as a River, A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International depth 200 ft (61 m)[1]
Water volume 2. A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International 8 km³ (0. CM3 redirects here If you were looking for the 3rd game in the Cooking Mama series abbreviated as CM3 see here. 67 cu mi)[1]
Shore length1 500 mi (800 km)
Surface elevation 795 ft (242 m)[2]
References [2][1]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. A cubic mile is an Imperial / US customary (non- SI non- metric) unit of Volume, used in the United States. A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International

Smith Mountain Lake is a large artificial lake southeast of Roanoke, Virginia, and southwest of Lynchburg, Virginia. A reservoir is most broadly a place or hollow vessel where Fluid is kept in Reserve, for later use For the metropolitan area see Roanoke Metropolitan Area. Roanoke is an Independent city located in the Roanoke Metropolitan Area in Lynchburg is an Independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Initial proposals were made in the late 1920s to dam the Roanoke River and the Blackwater River at the Smith Mountain gorge to generate electricity. The Roanoke River is a river in southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States, 410 mi (660 km long Construction on the dam began in 1960 and was completed in 1963. The lake reached its normal water level in March 1966. The lake is 20,600 acres (83 km²) and has over 500 miles (800 km) of shoreline. The north shore of the lake lies entirely in Bedford County. Bedford County is a county located in the US state of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The majority of the south shore of the lake lies in Franklin County while a portion, including access to the dam, lies in Pittsylvania County. Franklin County is a county located in the US state &mdash officially " Commonwealth " &mdash of Virginia. Pittsylvania County is a county located in the US state &mdash officially " Commonwealth " &mdash of Virginia.

The area lies in a broad valley nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of rural south-central Virginia of the Appalachian chain. The Blue Ridge, or Blue Ridge Mountains, is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division The Appalachian Mountains ( often called the Appalachians, are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America. Before the lake's creation, farming and logging were the primary industries. Communities around the lake include Moneta, Huddleston, Union Hall, White House, Penhook and Goodview. There is no post office with a Smith Mountain Lake mailing address. The Booker T. Washington National Monument is near the west end of the lake. Booker T Washington National Monument is a unit of the National Park Service located

The dam produces pumped-storage hydroelectricity. Hydro-storage redirects here For storage of water for other purposes see Reservoir. Water flows through the dam turbines into Leesville Lake during the day (high demand time) to produce supplemental electricity. Leesville Lake is an Artificial lake in Virginia, the United States used for Hydro-Electric power generation in conjunction with Smith Mountain Lake Water is then pumped from Leesville lake back into Smith Mountain Lake at night (low demand time). The dam is operated by Appalachian Power, part of American Electric Power. American Electric Power ( is a major investor-owner Electric utility in various parts of the United States.

The level of the lake varies during the day and night, as water flows through (and is pumped back through) the dam. The normal maximum level of the lake (also known as "Full Pond") is regulated to 795 feet (242 m) above sea level. The normal observed level (also known as "normal pond") is 794. 20 feet (242. 07 m). The level can be significantly lower during periods of extended drought. Lake levels were about six feet below normal from time to time, during the years 2001 to 2003, after five years of below-average rainfall.

Smith Mountain Lake has become a popular recreational area. Fishing is very popular, especially for striped bass. For the computer security term see Phishing. Fishing is the activity of catching Fish. The striped bass ( Morone saxatilis, also called rock or rockfish is the state fish of Maryland, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and The lake has hosted professional fishing tournaments. Boating, water skiing, wakeboarding, and riding personal watercraft are also common activities. Boating, the leisurely activity of traveling by Boat typically refers to the Recreational use of boats whether Power boats sail boats, or Water skiing is a Sport where an individual (or more than one individual is pulled behind a Motor boat or a cable ski installation on a body of water wearing Wakeboarding is a surface Water sport which involves riding a wakeboard over the surface of a body of water behind a boat A personal water craft ( PWC) is a Recreational Watercraft that the rider sits or stands on rather than inside Smith Mountain Lake State Park opened in 1983 and provided a beach and a section for swimming. Swimming is the movement by humans or animals through Water, usually without artificial assistance Golf at one of the several nearby courses is a popular landside activity.

The lake was featured prominently in the 1991 movie comedy What About Bob?, directed by Frank Oz and starring Bill Murray, Richard Dreyfuss and Julie Hagerty. What About Bob? is a 1991 Comedy movie directed by Frank Oz which stars Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss Frank Oz (born May 25, 1944) is a British-born American Film director, Actor and Puppeteer. For the British actor see Billy Murray (actor. William James "Bill" Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an Richard Stephen Dreyfuss (born October 29 1947 is an Academy Award -winning American Actor, known for a number of film television and theater roles such Julie Hagerty (born June 15, 1955) is an American stage screen and Television actress and model It served as the stand-in for Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. Lake Winnipesaukee is the largest Lake in New Hampshire. It is approximately 21 miles (34 km long (northwest-southeast and from one to nine miles (1 New Hampshire ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America.

Contents

History

Licensing

AEP is licensed to operate the Smith Mountain Project by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The initial license term was for fifty years. In 1998, AEP began the process of relicensing which should be complete in 2009. The new license term may be up to fifty years. Under the requirements of relicensing, AEP is required to perform numerous studies to determine management requirements during the upcoming license term. Once the new license is issued, amending AEP's license will become much more difficult.

Shoreline management

In 1998, the FERC required AEP to devise and implement a shoreline management plan. The Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) limits the development of all property within the "project boundary. " Local zoning regulations have been effectively superseded by the SMP regulations. AEP acts as the permitting agency. Any variance requests are reviewed by interested State and Federal agencies such as Virginia Dept of Game and Inland Fisheries. Disagreements must first proceed to the FERC, then be appealed through the Federal Judicial System.

The SMP has been controversial for several reasons:

Development

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the area around Smith Mountain Lake remained rural and remote with tobacco farms and other agriculture. The limited early residential developments around the lake consisted largely of small trailer parks and modest houses. However, residential growth has been steady since the mid-1980s and increasingly upscale with large lakefront houses, condominiums, and communities centered around golf courses. The lake has both attracted those who commute to Roanoke and Lynchburg and retirees, many of whom have relocated from the Northeast. Commuting is the process of Travelling between one's place of residence and regular place of work For the metropolitan area see Roanoke Metropolitan Area. Roanoke is an Independent city located in the Roanoke Metropolitan Area in Lynchburg is an Independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Northeast is a region of the United States. As defined by the U By the late 1990s, the number and affluence of the new residents resulted in the construction of new retail and commercial developments near the lake. Shoreline development has been limited to residential construction. With the enactment of Federal oversight of shoreline development in 1998 coupled with soaring real estate values, there is an escalating loss of public access to the lake as the lake's marinas are sold for residential development.

State Route 122 is the only primary highway that crosses the lake, though State Route 24, State Route 116, and State Route 40 are nearby. State Route 122 is a primary State highway in the US state of Virginia. State Route 24 is a primary State highway in the US state of Virginia. State Route 116 is a primary State highway in the US state of Virginia, running from State Route 122 at Burnt Chimney north to State Route 40 is a primary State highway in the southern part of the U

Recreational access

The majority of access to the lake is through private residential property. Marinas provide the majority of public access, but are increasingly being converted to private, residential developments due to economic and regulatory pressure. Recreation Use Assessment.

Two key public access points to Smith Mountain Lake include the Smith Mountain Lake State Park (located on the Bedford County side of the lake off of Smith Mountain Parkway--Route 626) and the Smith Mountain Community Park (located on the Franklin County side of Smith Mountain Lake).

Misc

Cachalot was the first commercial saturation diving system and was designed by Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Underseas Division (Tom O'Neill and Alan Krassburg) for use in clearing the trash rack of the Smith Mountain Dam in Virginia. The system consisted of a large chamber Deck Decompression Chamber or DDC and a Personnel Transfer Capsule (PTC) which could be mated to the DDC at pressure. The divers lived in the DDC and went back and forth to work in the PTC. The operation was between depths of 159 and 240 feet (73 m) and lasted for four months beginning in August 1965. To do the job using contemporary conventional techniques would have entailed draining the whole reservoir, a two year job. To do the job using two divers at a time from saturation replaced 32 divers using normal surface diving techniques. This system was the forerunner of the great explosion of commercial diving systems which soon spread across the world. In fact, the first at sea commercial saturation dive was done in 1966 in the Gulf of Mexico using this same system.

Events

Wakeboarding Events

Smith Mountain Lake Wakefest & Virginia Commonwealth Games Wakeboarding Tournament hosted by Wake N Skate Pro Wakeboard Shop. For the past six years, on the third Saturday of July thousands gather to watch the best wakeboarders in Virginia compete.

External links

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