The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1930-01-30
MANY DRY RIVER BEDS WILL
BE LEFT ALONG BLACKWATER
STUDY OF STATE MAP SHOWS
Nationally Known Sportsman and Fishing Editor of Magazine
Detailed Protest To Public Service Commission In
Connection With Application of W. Va Power Company

River, will very definitely take from
the people, for all time, some of their
finest mountain streams, for which
the state of West Virginia has long
been famous. These five proposed de-
velopments are A, B, and C, covering
the Blackwater River, L, the Gladly
Fork, and M, the Shavers Fork. De-
velopments M. and N, covering, Shaw
ers Fork and Dry Fork, apparently
cover every possible site on the en-
tire upper watershed above Parsons,
including numerous dams on Shavers
Fork, Otter Creek, Gladly, Laurel
Fork, Dry Fork, and Candy, and pos
sible some others, excepting the
Blackwater, which is covered sepa-
rately.
Subject of Importance
GAS there seems to be very i'm
perfect understanding on the part of
the public as to just what the power
interests propose to do, and what the
effects will be, I feel that the public
should be given more specific infor-
nation on matters that are of such
vital Importance, not only to present,
but to future generations. I shall
therefore attempt to point out the dis
astrous effects of the specific major
developments mentioned above.
"On the Blackwater, a storage dam
rs feet high is proposed two miles
above Davis, near the location of the
old splash dam, which will flood the
Canaan Valley, forming a lake ap-
proximately fifteen miles in length.
From this dam, the river will be di-
verted into Beaver Creek. A second
dam of S. feet for power develop
ment will be located one and one
fourth miles below Davis a short dis
lance above Blackwater Falls, which
will back the water up along the
town of Davis and some distance up
Beaver Creek. From this second
dam, diversion tunnel will take the
water around the falls and into the
North Fork a short distance above
it's junction with the Blackwater. A
third dam of SO feet will be located
one-fourth mile below the forks, and
from this dam, the water will be di-
verted through another tunnel to a
power house on Dry Fork at the
mouth of the Blackwater a short
distance above Hendricks.
To Leave Dry Beds
"The net result of these develop
ments, if allowed to proceed, will be
to eliminate every foot of the Black
water River from its head near Cort-
land to its mouth. From the upper
dam of the backwater of the middle
dam, the bed of the river will be dry,
from the middle dam just above the
falls to the upper part of the back
water from the lower, or North Fork
dam, the famous falls and gorge, will
be dry, and from the lower dam to
Cheat river, the bed of the Black
water will be dry.
'"On the Shavers Fork, dam of
$50 feet is to be built seven miles
above Bemis. From this dam, a di-
version tunnel will carry the waters
of Shavers Fork through the noun
tain into Gladly. Seven miles below
the town of Gladly, power dam 21O
feet high will be constructed from
which the combined water of Gladly
and Shavers Fork will bediverted back
through the mountain to power
house on Shavers Fork, from where
the combined waters will flow down
Shavers Fork. The result of these
two developments would be that
Shavers Fork would be dry for about
fifteen miles from the dam to the
power house, a mile or so above
where the Elkins to Harmony road
leaves it; while Gladly Fork would be
dry the entire distance from it's di-
version dam to it's mouth. !
Will Alter Watershed
"Such a stupendous program, if
carried out, would alter the upper
watershed of the Cheat River as to