Leesville Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Leesville Lake |
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Leesville Lake Dam
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 Leesville Lake
Location in Virginia
Leesville Lake
Location in the United States
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| Location | Pittsylvania, Bedford, and Campbell counties, Virginia |
| Coordinates | 37°05′34″N 079°24′06″W / 37.09278°N 79.40167°W |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Roanoke River |
| Primary outflows | Roanoke River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 17 mi (27 km) |
| Max. width | 1,600 ft (490 m) |
| Surface area | 3,270 acres (13.2 km2) |
| Max. depth | 41 ft (12 m) |
| Shore length1 | 110 mi (180 km) |
| Surface elevation | 620 ft (190 m) |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Leesville Lake is a large reservoir in Virginia. It works with Smith Mountain Lake to create hydroelectric power. This means they use water to make electricity.
The lake is located in southwestern Virginia. It is southeast of Roanoke and southwest of Lynchburg. Leesville Lake is smaller and lower than Smith Mountain Lake.
It covers about 3,270 acres (13.2 km2) of land. The lake holds a lot of water, about 94,900 acre-feet (117,100,000 m3). It is 17 miles (27 km) long and has about 110 miles (180 km) of shoreline. The lake sits in a wide valley among the Blue Ridge Mountains. This area is part of the larger Appalachian Mountains. Before the lake was built, people mostly farmed and cut down trees here.
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How Leesville Lake Makes Power
Leesville Lake helps make electricity for homes and businesses. It works with Smith Mountain Lake in a special way. This system is called a "pump storage project."
The Smith Mountain Dam was built between 1960 and 1963. This dam helps control the water flow.
Making Electricity with Water
Water moves from Smith Mountain Lake down to Leesville Lake. As it flows, it passes through special machines called generators. These generators spin and create electricity. This usually happens when people need a lot of power, like during the day.
When less power is needed, the system works in reverse. The generators act like pumps. They push water back up from Leesville Lake to Smith Mountain Lake. This saves water for later use. This smart system helps use electricity from other power plants more efficiently.
The water level in Leesville Lake changes a bit. It can refill by about 1.33 feet (41 cm) per hour. It can also go down by about 0.46 feet (14 cm) per hour. Usually, the water level changes by only two to three feet (0.6 to 0.9 m). The biggest change ever seen was about ten feet (3.0 m). This means Leesville Lake avoids big drops in water level that some other lakes have.
Fun Things to Do at the Lake
For many years, the area around Leesville Lake was mostly farms. People grew corn and tobacco. There were not many houses. But since about 2004, more homes have been built. Now, you can see many lakefront houses and communities.
Even with more homes, Leesville Lake is still quieter than other nearby lakes. These include Smith Mountain Lake, Kerr Lake, and Lake Gaston. This means less boat traffic, which can be nice.
Popular Activities at Leesville Lake
Leesville Lake is a great place for outdoor fun. Fishing is very popular here. Many people come to catch striped bass. In fact, the biggest striped bass ever caught in Virginia was from Leesville Lake in the year 2000!
Besides fishing, people enjoy other water sports. These include boating, water skiing, and wakeboarding. Riding personal watercraft, like jet skis, is also a common activity.
Getting to Leesville Lake
You can get to Leesville Lake mainly by using U.S. Route 29. Other roads like State Route 43 and State Route 40 also lead to different sides of the lake.
Images for kids
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Leesville Lake Dam
