Claytor Dam

Claytor Dam
Claytor Lake just above the dam
Claytor Dam is located in Virginia
Claytor Dam
Location of Claytor Dam in Virginia
CountryUnited States
LocationPulaski County, Virginia
Coordinates37°4′31.23″N 80°35′5.53″W / 37.0753417°N 80.5848694°W / 37.0753417; -80.5848694
PurposePower
StatusOperational
Opening date1939; 85 years ago (1939)
Dam and spillways
Type of damGravity
ImpoundsNew River
Height145 ft (44 m)
Length1,142 ft (348 m)
Spillways9 sluice gates
Spillway typeControlled, crest overflow
Reservoir
CreatesClaytor Lake
Total capacity225,000 acre⋅ft (278,000,000 m3)
Surface area4,472 acres (1,810 ha)
Maximum length21.67 mi (34.87 km)
Maximum water depth115 ft (35 m)
Normal elevation1,846 ft (563 m)
Commission date1939
Turbines4 x 18.75 MW Francis-type
Installed capacity75 MW

The Claytor Dam is a gravity dam on the New River in Pulaski County, Virginia, United States. It is also located about 2.5 mi (4.0 km) south of Radford. It is named after William Graham Claytor, then vice president of Appalachian Power Company (APC), who was instrumental in the dam's construction. APC is now a subsidiary of American Electric Power (AEP) who owns the dam. The primary purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power generation and it supports a 75 MW power station. Its reservoir, Claytor Lake, is also used for recreation. The dam was constructed and its power station commissioned in 1939. It received its first license in 1943.[1] It is 1,142 ft (348 m) long and 145 ft (44 m) tall. It stores a reservoir with a capacity of 225,000 acre⋅ft (278,000,000 m3). The reservoir covers 4,472 acres (1,810 ha) and stretches 21.67 mi (34.87 km) behind the dam.[2]

  1. ^ "About Claytor Hydro". American Electric Power. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  2. ^ Ghanaat, Yusof (2005). "Evaluation of Seismic Stability of Claytor Dam Using Linear and Nonlinear Time History Analyses" (PDF). Proceedings of the 25th Annual USSD Conference. Retrieved 22 May 2014.