Bluestone Dam. Summers County, Hinton WV at Rte 3 and 20.
A nice strong looking Dam with both the New River and Bluestone River going into it. Outflow is the New River. This dam creates a mammoth Bluestone lake behind it. It's the 3rd largest lake in WV. Perfect for recreational activities such as fishing, jet skiing, boating, etc.
The dam build was issued by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1942. Due to WWII it was suspended and restarted 1946. Initial completion was 1952.
There was a lot of controversy then and even now regarding the towns, people and the dam.
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the dam build stability became a concern. With other issues and including foundation issues, this caused the corps to begin the damage control project that seems to be never ending. In 2019, this year they have begun phase 4. Phase 5 to begin in 2020. See register-herald.com and YouTube for more.
When I was there I did see a family with kids playing on the very nice playground at the dam. They had flushing toilets and a baseball field plus a skate park! Except for the playground, everything seemed sadly abandoned. While I was there they were working on the dam. A horn would sound and blasting taking place. Scary to blast around here. You already have rock falls and damaged dam foundation but as I'm not employed by the Army Corp of Engineers, I'll cross my fingers everyone makes it out safe from all this. I hope this works out and the community expands. Hinton is a most beautiful city. read more