Gathright Dam
| Gathright Dam | |
|---|---|
Gathright Dam | |
| Location | Alleghany County, near Kincaid, Virginia |
| Coordinates | 37°58′21″N 79°57′51″W / 37.9726054°N 79.9641174°W |
| Construction began | 1974 |
| Opening date | 1979 |
| Operator(s) | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment, rock-fill |
| Impounds | Jackson River |
| Height | 257 feet (78 m) |
| Length | 1,310 feet (400 m) |
| Width (base) | 32 feet (9.8 m) (crest) 1,000 feet (300 m) (base) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Lake Moomaw |
| Total capacity | Normal: 40 billion US gallons (150,000,000 m3) Max: 137 billion US gallons (520,000,000 m3) |
| Catchment area | 345 square miles (890 km2) |
| Surface area | 3.9 square miles (10 km2) |
Gathright Dam is an earthen and rolled rock-fill embankment dam on the Jackson River 19 miles (31 km) north of Covington, Virginia. The dam is 257 feet (78 m) tall and 1,310 feet (400 m) long and has a controlled spillway within the structure's southern portion. It creates Lake Moomaw, which has a normal volume of 40 billion US gallons (150,000,000 m3). The dam serves flood control and recreational purposes and is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Gathright Dam's intake tower contains nine portals that allow it to release water between reservoir depths of 12 to 87 feet (3.7 to 26.5 m). This allows the dam to manage the temperature and flow of water released downstream. This helps mitigate some of the negative environmental effects posed by the dam and manage fisheries downstream.
Lake Moomaw is surrounded by protected forest land within the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. The recreational areas of the lake include campgrounds, hiking trails, a manmade beach area, and boating launches. The lake is home to naturally occurring and stocked fish, including bass, trout, catfish, crappie and perch.