Gauley River Watch
Summersville Dam was built in the early 60’s and dedicated by President Johnson in 1965. It is the biggest earthen dam east of the Mississippi. Each fall, starting the weekend after Labor Day, the Corps of Engineers begins to lower Summersville Lake 70 feet for flood control. The whitewater industry has worked closely with the Corp to organize the releases to optimize whitewater flows. Each spring, usually around the middle of March, the Corps begins to fill the lake. The graphic below shows the lake level and flows in real time.
(link to U.S. Corp of Engineers Water Levels)
