24 November 2008

That's My World-Lake Moomaw, Virginia

Love the views at the Lake
Hooking the pontoon boat back up after a day on the lake

Marina Area at Lake Moomaw
Nestled in Virginia's scenic Allegheny Mountains, this area provides nearly year-round opportunities for boating, camping, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, hunting, mountain biking, picnicking, swimming, water sports, wildlife viewing and many other activities.

Lake Moomaw has been stocked with largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, brown trout, rainbow trout, lake run trout, brook trout, channel catfish, black crappie, yellow perch, chain pickerel, northern pike, gizzard shad, alewife, bluegill and various sunfish.

Gathright Dam and Lke Moomaw provide flood and water quality control along the Jackson and James Rivers in Western Virignia and are located on the Jackson River, 43 miles upstream from its confluence with the Cowpasture River, which, at that point forms the upper James River. The City of Covington is 19 miles downstream from the dam. From the dam, the lake extends 12 miles along the Jackson River. At its normal recreational level of 1,582 feet above sea level, the lake covers a surface area of 2,530 acres and has a shoreline of more than 43 miles.

Gathright Resevoir, as it was originally called, was authorized by Congress in the Flood Control Act of 1946. However, two years later in a similar piece of legislation, Congress stated that the project should be reviewed to determine the desirability of its construction. Lawmakers also questions whether some local funding should be sought based on benefits to be derived from water supply, pollution abatement and other conservation purposes.

In a review report to Congressional Public Works Committees, the Corps recommended that construction be undertaken without requiring local funding support. The project was put in abeyance in 1954, when it appeared that economic justification for Gathright was marginal. In 1957, it was officially "Deferred for Restudy."

The restudy, conducted in 1964, concluded that favorbale economic benefits would prevail by constructing Gathright Dam. Gathright was soon thereafter placed back on "Active" status, and initial construction was underway by 1967. A slowdown in Congressional funding minimized much of the construction work until 1970, when the project went into full gear. In 1978, following the death of Mr. Bejamin Moomaw, the man whose efforts brought the project into the Allegheny Highlands, Congress remanmed the area Gathright Dam, and Lake Moomaw. construction was comleted in 1981.

View Across the Road From My Friend's Acreage at Lake Moomaw-July 2008
A Cove at Lake Moomaw-July 2008
On the way to the main body of the lake, there are several little islands scattered about the lake and you can tie up your boat and have lunch on them or sun when the weather is right
Channel leading from boat dock to main body of the lake
July 2008
November 2008-Boat Dock
Water is let out from the lake area during the Fall and Winter to keep the river levels up downstream note difference between July photo immediately preceeding this one
(same vantage point)
November 2008-Boat Dock

The lake is 12 miles in length with a shoreline of 43.5 miles. The average depth is 80 feet and the depth at recreational pool intake tower is 150 feet. The surface area of the lake at normal water level is 2,530 acres. The spillway is 2,680 feet in length with a base width of 100 feet. It is an ugated spillway type.
July 2008 -Boat Dock
Dam and intake tower (located on left of photo)

The dam pictured above is 257 feet high, the length at top is 1,310 feet and the width at crest is 32 feet. The intake tower is multi-level and is 260 feet high. Above the dam at the entrance to the outlet tunnel is the 260-foot intake tower. Portals are arranged in the tower at nine levels in two wet wells. This allows the withdrawl of water from any level depending on the designed water temperature. Selective withdrawal of colder water from the lake, allows the Corps to maintain a prime trout habitat downstream from the dam. Hydraulically-operated sluice gates, eight feet wide and 17 1/2 feet high, used for flood control, are among the largest ever fabricated.

Through the south abutment of the dam there is a concrete-lined outlet tunnel, which is used for passing lake waters into a tilling or quieting basin before the water enters the Jackson River downstream.

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42 comments:

Louise said...

Nice post with interesting pictures. Year-round? So jealous! I'm jealous of the lake at all (I'm a lake girl--pontoon boat is my favorite--I call it my floating dock), but year-round lake is hard to beat!

Connie T. said...

I love pontoon boats. I can rent one all day for 12 hours over in KY for $125. I am going to do that next summer. Nice pictures.

Anonymous said...

Interesting post and wonderful views
about your world today!Thank you!
Mine is
http://leejattas.aminus3.com

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Erin: What a neat story of the lake, I hope you take advantage of all the fish in the lake.

Lew said...

Interesting post and great pictures! This is an unusual shaped lake the way it backs up into the mountains around it. Also interesting how long it took to make the decision to build the dam.

Pernille said...

Very interesting post. Fantastic text and photos. Nice to see the photos year around:) And I love the view:)

Gill - That British Woman said...

very interesting, great photos.

Gill in Canada

April said...

Very pretty scenes of Virginia! The pontoon boat would be fun.

Carver said...

This was a very interesting post and great sequence of shots.

Mojo said...

Sounds like Moomaw has a history very much like Raleigh's Falls Lake. They would have been completed at around the same time in any case. But I don't know nearly so much about Falls Lake as you do this one.

Jeanne said...

What a lovely spot. It looks like lots of good places to enjoy the water. Amazing the difference in water level in those shots too.

SandyCarlson said...

That's a beautiful, lush place. Very nice. God bless.

Greener Pastures--A City Girl Goes Country said...

Tell me Virginia is not heaven!

www.GreenerPastures--ACityGirlGoesCountry.blogspot.com

DeniseinVA said...

Wonderful post, I'm learning all kinds of interesting things about Virginia, such great photos. Have a Happy Thanksgiving :)

A Scattering said...

What a lovely area, thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

That's not a part of Virginia I know, but it's lovely. Thanks for a great My World post!

Carletta said...

Love the little island pic and looking out from the boatdock - awesome!
Thanks for sharing your world.

Esther Garvi said...

I love your lake! What a contrast to landlocked Niger... Few things can beat our sea of sand, though! ;-)

Greetings from West Africa,
Esther

Torsdag 1952 said...

Good to have a place like Lake Moomaw in "Your World". Have some wonderful days on your boat and good luck fishing.
Hallo from Germany

Anonymous said...

Beautiful your World.
Great blog.

Gowri Mohanakrishnan said...

Your world is so interesting. Life at the lake with activities year round! Wow!

Leora said...

Pretty place! Love the blue islands especially.

Unknown said...

Nice photos and interesting post.Thanks for sharing your wonderful world and also Thanks for viewing my world.
Have a nice day.

EG CameraGirl said...

The dam has created a beautiful recreation spot!

MaR said...

It looks like a wonderful place and it has so much to offer!! love the little island, would love to be able to stop by one of them for lunch, how wonderful!!
Enjoyed the tour and your beautiful pictures, thanks!!

Indrani said...

Lakes can be fascinating places. I am wishing for picnic in one of those islands. You have put up tempting pictures for the post. Thanks!

antigoni said...

Great posts, both of them.

Unknown said...

What a beautiful lkae and a very interesting post about it. I am sure you have enjoyed good times there.

Tanya Breese said...

Great photos! We're going to have to visit there!

indicaspecies said...

Thank you for sharing your beautiful world with these lovely photographs.

My World is at:
http://indicainq8.wordpress.com

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, and a nice day.

- celine

MedaM said...

Interesting post, indeed! I like this series of photos that show how beautiful your world is. Thanks for sharing them. I especially like the blue islands.

Jeannelle said...

You live in a beautiful and historically interesting area. I'm chuckling that there is a "Cowpasture" River!

Awhile back I was on a genealogical kick which led me to information from Virginia and the names Arbuckle, Madison, Nelson far back in my family tree. Someday I would love to visit your historical part of the country.

Oman said...

i specially love the road leading to the lake. that is awesome. great shots.

thanks for sharing your world. you may visit mine here

have a wonderful weekend ahead. :)

Anonymous said...

I just love the little islands in the middle of lakes. They always feel like being in a separate world.....an isolated circle outside of greater and more complicated circles of life. Landing on one of those islands is like taking a vacation.

soulbrush said...

love the photo of the little island. gorgeous.

alicesg said...

Very beautiful place from your part of the world. The channel looked so huge and amazing. Nice day for boating.

Linda said...

Interesting photos and explanation. A new area of the world to discover!

Cezar and Léia said...

Breathtaking landscape! Congratulations! Great blog!Thanks for your kind visit in our blog!
Greetings from Brazil and Luxembourg!
Léia :-)

DrowseyMonkey-Photos said...

Love the post and the photos are amazing. Thanks for sharing :)

magiceye said...

thank you for the wonderful tour!

It is peace in Mumbai at last.
Thank you for all your prayers and good wishes.
Pray for all those who lost their lives and may God give strength to their near and dear ones to bear their irreparable loss.

2sweetnsaxy said...

I'm sorry I missed this on Tuesday. Wow! What an amazing place. I would love the chance to hang out on one of those little islands. HOw great is that!?

Susie of Arabia said...

Great photos and interesting narrative. I especially like the photo of the small island in the middle of the lake - it looks like paradise!