ROANOKE, Va., October 31, 2014 – Appalachian Power, operator of the Claytor Lake hydroelectric project, has cancelled the planned lowering of the reservoir level for November. The nine-day drawdown was to begin next week to allow property owners opportunity for dock work, shoreline stabilization, construction, and maintenance.

Pulaski County and the Pulaski County Public Service Authority (PSA) asked that Appalachian Power delay the drawdown.  PSA told Appalachian that there had been a significant increase in silt adjacent to its water intake at the lake and that the lowering of the reservoir level could risk the chance of a significant interruption of water service to residents and businesses. 

The November drawdown had been approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and was being done in collaboration with Friends of Claytor Lake (FOCL), Pulaski County, and various state agencies. Appalachian will work with all the stakeholders to determine when another drawdown can be scheduled.

Claytor Lake is a 21-mile long, 4,500-acre reservoir located on New River in Pulaski County. Claytor Dam generates 75 megawatts of power and is operated by Appalachian Power.

Appalachian Power has 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is a unit of American Electric Power, one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, which delivers electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. 

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