Smith Mountain Lake and Leesville Dam Water Release Reduction

planned

Appalachian Power (APCo) will reduce the amount of water released from Leesville Dam and Smith Mountain Lake to conserve water during a historic drought. APCo received approval from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for a water release variance effective July 22. Measures under the Water Management Plan have conserved two feet of water elevation for the Smith Mountain Lake Project, a two-reservoir hydroelectric generation initiative. The reduced water flows may impact recreational activities downstream but are expected to support downstream ecology. The reduced water flows will remain until Smith Mountain Lake returns to full pond elevation.