Claytor Lake

Claytor Lake

Location	Pulaski County, Virginia, United States
Coordinates	37°04′30″N 80°35′05″W / 37.07500°N 80.58472°W / 37.07500; -80.58472
Lake type	reservoir
Primary inflows	New River
Primary outflows	New River
Basin countries	United States

Max. length	21 mi (34 km)
Surface area	4,500 acres (1,800 ha)
Surface elevation	1856 ft

Claytor Lake in Pulaski County, Virginia, is a 4,500 acre (18 km²), 21 mile (34 km) long reservoir on the New River created for a hydroelectric project of Appalachian Power Company. It is named for W. Graham Claytor, Sr. (1886–1971) of Roanoke, Virginia, a vice president of Appalachian Power who had supervised construction of the Claytor Dam which created the lake.

Three miles of Claytor Lake's shoreline is bordered by Claytor Lake State Park, operated by the Commonwealth of Virginia.^[1]

History

Claytor Lake was formed when Appalachian Power Company built the Claytor Dam on the New River, just south of Radford, Virginia, in 1939. The gravity concrete dam is 139 feet high and impounds a normal capacity of 232,000 acre-feet.^[2] The plant is the largest of the power company's 12 hydroelectric plants, with a total generating capacity of 83,000 kilowatts.

In early 1944, the people of the surrounding area expressed an interest in the establishment of a state park on the new lake. The idea continued to grow and in 1946 private citizens and businesses from Pulaski, Radford and Blacksburg raised the money needed to purchase 437 acres (1.77 km²) from Appalachian Power. This land was given to the state to be developed as Claytor Lake State Park.

The Friends of Claytor Lake

The Friends of Claytor Lake is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is dedicated to conserving and protecting the quality, sustainability and tranquility of the environment of Claytor Lake for all. They operate a clean up crew which is responsible for debris removal each year out of Claytor Lake averaging 6,000 tons of debris and trash. They are instrumental in boater safety programs, water quality studies, hydrilla control, and other programs making lake goers have the best experience they can on Claytor Lake. Donations can be made to The Friends of Claytor Lake and are tax deductible. You can reach them at www.focl.org

Rail trail

Hiwassee Trestle, on the New River Trail, a former railroad line which is now a rail trail, crosses Claytor Lake, and is part of the linear New River Trail State Park. The bridge was built in 1931 by Virginia Bridge and Iron Co. of Roanoke, a subsidiary of the Norfolk and Western Railway. The trestle is at 951 ft (290 m) long.

Recreational activities

Popular activities at Claytor Lake include powerboating, sailing and various watersports.

Fishing has also become a major attraction at Claytor Lake. The most plentiful fish in the lake are bluegill, a form of sunfish. Most commonly they are in the 6" to 8" (15–20 cm) range and weigh less than a pound. Catfish are also popular in Claytor Lake, some of them getting quite large (well over 50 lb (22 kg)). The main sporting varieties are largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and striped bass. Large and small mouth bass fishing tournaments are a regular seasonal event at Claytor Lake with weights of 15 to 20 lb (7 to 9 kg) per fisherman being an average winning catch. All tournament fishing is catch and release and most is done by local clubs. Striped bass fishing occurs year round with various techniques. The average "striper" (as they are commonly known) is about 8 lb (4 kg) but catches close to 30 lb (14 kg) have been reported.

Several high cliffs of shale rock ring the lake coastline. This material is loose and unstable, and therefore, climbing is not permitted although many people (unlawfully) climb and jump from these cliffs into the lake below.

References