Sumemrsville Lake was created to keep the Gauley River from flooding everything on it’s path south of Summersville. It–and the other dams in the area with heavy rain–succeeded in their tasks.

“Basically we impound that water in our dam,” Schray said. “If you look at Summersville specifically, the elevation that resulted from this event is the second highest in its history. We stored almost 42 feet of water and we store that water till the downstream stages drop below the damage levels.”

He said they started to see those lower, normal levels on Saturday which led to the release of water at Summersville and Sutton. The controlled release allows the dam to slowly get back to normal levels, so the corp can be ready in case of another weather event.

Here are some pictures taken at Summersville Lake just over a week after the flooding, with comparison pictures if I had them.

Summersville Lake viewing Long Point, July 2016

Summersville Lake viewing Long Point, October 2013 (winter water levels)

Summersville Lake at the Dam, July 2016

Summersville Lake at the Dam, October 2013 (winter water levels)

Gauley River at Carnifex Ferry, July 2016

Gauley River at Carnifex Ferry, May 2015

Water pouring from the dam into the Gauley

Long Point at Summersville Lake. If you zoom in you can see the mud on the trees where the water was.

These pictures of the lake were taken from the car as we drove across the dam.

If you would like to donate to flood relief, please check these links.