Philpott Dam

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Photo by the US Army Corps of Engineers depicting Philpott Dam and powerhouse. Philpott Lake and the Blue Ridge Mountains can be seen in the background.

Philpott Dam is a concrete, gravity dam on the Smith River in Franklin and Henry counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. It impounds Philpott Lake.

Philpott Dam is located at 36°46′52″N, 80°01′39″W, about 44 river miles (71 km) above the mouth of the Smith River. It is about 7 miles (11 km) upstream from Bassett, Virginia.

The Dam and Philpott Lake were created control flooding along the Smith River, to generate hydroelectric power, and to provide recreational activities at Fairy Stone State Park.^[1] Construction on Philpott Dam began in 1948 and was completed in 1952.^[1] The Philpott Dam Powerhouse was completed and started generating electricity in 1953. The Philpott project is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District.

The dam includes a spillway, a powerhouse, and switchyard. The top elevation of Philpott Dam is 1016 feet (310 m) msl and has an overall length of 920 feet (280 m). The maximum height above the streambed is 220 feet (67 m). The spillway has a crest elevation of 985 feet, msl and a total length of 120 feet (37 m).

The power house has two vertical shaft Francis turbines rated at 6700 kW each and a smaller unit rated at 600 kW.