Summersville lake - wikipedia Summersville lake Summersville Dam Summersville Lake Location Nicholas County, near Summersville, West Virginia Coordinates 38 ° 13 ′ 23 '' N 80 ° 53 ′ 26 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 38.22306 ° N 80.89056 ° W ﻿ / 38.22306 ; - 80.89056 Coordinates : 38 ° 13 ′ 23 '' N 80 ° 53 ′ 26 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 38.22306 ° N 80.89056 ° W ﻿ / 38.22306 ; - 80.89056 Construction began 1960 Opening date 1966 Operator ( s ) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District Dam and spillways Impounds Gauley River Height 390 feet ( 120 m ) Length 2,280 feet ( 690 m ) Reservoir Creates Summersville Lake Surface area 2,700 acres ( 11 km ) Normal elevation 1,644 feet ( 501 m ) Summersville Lake is a reservoir located in the US state of West Virginia. The lake is formed by a rock - fill dam ( Summersville Dam ) on the Gauley River, south of Summersville in Nicholas County. It is the largest lake in West Virginia, with 2,700 acres ( 1,100 ha ) of water and over 60 miles ( 97 km ) of shoreline at the summer pool water level. Its maximum depth is 327 feet. Contents 1 Dam 2 Hydroelectric project 3 Recreation 4 Gallery 5 References 6 External links Dam Summersville Dam The lake was constructed between 1960 and 1966 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers in order to control flooding in an 803 - square - mile ( 2,080 km ) watershed along the Gauley River and the Kanawha River. At 390 feet ( 120 m ) tall, 2,280 feet ( 690 m ) long, and containing 12,000,000 cubic yards ( 9,200,000 m ) of dirt and rock, the dam itself is the second - largest rock - fill dam in the Eastern United States. President Lyndon B. Johnson dedicated both the dam and a new Summersville Post Office on September 3, 1966. The US Corps of Engineers broke a long - standing tradition in naming what was called the Summersville Project. Tradition holds that the project will be named after the town nearest the site of construction, unless named for a person ( such as Hoover Dam ). However, the town of Summersville was not the one nearest the dam. The village of Gad ( located near the present - day marina ) was literally flooded at the opening of the reservoir. After briefly considering the name `` Gad Dam, '' it was instead decided to name the project after the next nearest town -- Summersville. Hydroelectric project In 2001, a two - year project was completed to harness the dam outflow for hydroelectric power generation. The power plant has a capacity to generate 80 - megawatts of electricity at peak flow. Recreation The lake also serves as a recreation area for fishing, boating, and rock climbing, as well as snorkeling and scuba diving. It serves as the eastern ( upstream ) end of Gauley River National Recreation Area. There is a small boat under the lake that was intentionally sunk to give divers something to view while scuba diving. Gallery Summersville Dam Aerial view of the lake. Spillway and tailwaters Detail of spillway References External links West Virginia portal Water portal Renewable energy portal Summersville Lake water levels and out follow Army Corps of Engineers Summersville Lake site Engineering firm responsible for the powerplant Enel North America operates the powerplant Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Summersville_Lake&oldid=804109945 '' Categories : Bodies of water of Nicholas County, West Virginia Reservoirs in West Virginia Dams in West Virginia United States Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District Hydroelectric power plants in West Virginia United States Army Corps of Engineers dams Dams completed in 1966 Energy infrastructure completed in 1966 1966 establishments in West Virginia Lighthouses in the United States Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 6 October 2017, at 20 : 15. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what is the largest lake in west virginia
Answer: Summersville Lake