Claytor Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Claytor Lake |
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 Claytor Lake
Location in Virginia
Claytor Lake
Location in the United States
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| Location | Pulaski County, Virginia, United States |
| Coordinates | 37°04′30″N 80°35′05″W / 37.07500°N 80.58472°W |
| Lake type | reservoir |
| Primary inflows | New River |
| Primary outflows | New River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 21.67 mi (34.87 km) |
| Surface area | 4,472 acres (1,810 ha) |
| Surface elevation | 1,846 ft (563 m) (normal full pool) |
Claytor Lake is a big lake in Pulaski County, Virginia. It's about 21-mile-long (34 km) and covers 4,472-acre (1,810 ha). This lake isn't natural; it's a reservoir, which means it was made by building a dam.
The lake was created on the New River by a company called Appalachian Power. They built the dam to make electricity from the water's power. The lake is named after W. Graham Claytor, Sr.. He was a vice president at Appalachian Power and helped build the Claytor Dam.
A part of Claytor Lake's edge, about three miles long, is next to Virginia's Claytor Lake State Park.
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How Claytor Lake Was Made
In 1910, a company started buying land along the New River. Their plan was to build several dams to create hydroelectricity. By 1925, Appalachian Power Company took over these plans.
Building the dam, later called the Claytor Dam, started in 1937. It was finished in 1939. By the spring of 1940, the New River was completely blocked by the dam. This is how Claytor Lake was formed.
The Claytor Dam is a strong concrete dam. It can hold a huge amount of water, about 225,000 acre-feet. This power plant is the biggest of Appalachian Power's 12 hydroelectric plants. It can make 75 megawatts of electricity.
In 1944, people living nearby wanted a state park on the new lake. The idea grew, and in 1946, people and businesses from nearby towns raised money. They bought 437 acres (1.77 km2) of land from Appalachian Power. This land was given to the state to become Claytor Lake State Park.
Helping Claytor Lake Stay Clean
Friends of Claytor Lake is a non-profit group. This means they work to help the environment without making money. Their main goal is to protect Claytor Lake.
They have a special crew that cleans up the lake. They remove a lot of trash and debris, about 6,000 tons each year! They also teach people about boating safety and how to keep the water clean. They even help control a plant called hydrilla that can grow too much in the lake.
In 2015, the Friends group worked with the Boy Scouts. They got about 400 tons (400,000 kg) of concrete pieces. They used this concrete to make better homes for fish in Claytor Lake. Other groups like the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries also helped with this project.
The New River Trail
The New River Trail State Park is a special path. It was built on an old railroad track that was no longer used. This trail follows part of the Claytor Lake shoreline. It even crosses the lake on the Hiwassee Bridge.
The Hiwassee Bridge is 951-foot-long (290 m). It was built in 1931 by a company from Roanoke, Virginia.
Fun Things to Do at Claytor Lake
Claytor Lake is a great place for many fun activities. People love to go powerboating, sailing, and do other watersports.
Fishing is also very popular here. The most common fish in the lake are bluegill, which are a type of sunfish. They are usually about 6 to 8 inches (15–20 cm) long. Catfish are also found in Claytor Lake, and some can be very big, weighing over 50 pounds (22 kg)!
For sports fishing, people often try to catch largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and striped bass. Fishing tournaments for bass happen regularly. Fishermen often catch 15 to 20 pounds (7 to 9 kg) of fish to win. All tournament fishing is catch and release, which means the fish are put back in the lake.
Striped bass, often called "stripers," can be caught all year. An average striper weighs about 8 pounds (4 kg), but some have been caught weighing close to 30 pounds (14 kg)!
There are some tall cliffs made of shale rock around the lake. This rock can be loose, so climbing on these cliffs is not allowed for safety reasons.
The Boy Scouts of America has a special place on the lake called the Claytor Lake Aquatics Base. Boy Scouts can spend a week there in the summer. They learn how to sail, row, and do other watersports like wakeboarding. They can even get a PADI scuba diving certification during their week at the base.
