(Editor’s note: This story has been updated with comments from the Division of Highways.)
MORGANTOWN — Public comments opposing Lake Lynn Generation’s proposal to lower its seasonal minimal Cheat Lake reservoir level by three feet continue to flow into the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
A recent series of comments addresses a problem Lake Lynn has no real control over but plays a critical role in its proposal: opening the winter boat ramp to summer traffic if the lake level is lowered and other ramps are closed.
The problem is Morgans Run Road, which runs from Monongalia County 857/Fairchance Road down to Cheat Lake Park, where the winter boat ramp is located, and then continues on along the lake.
We took another drive down the road on Tuesday. It’s just under 2 miles to the parking areas, winding with many blind corners, edges crumbling away at some points, and not quite two lanes. Many stretches are just a hair wider than one lane and require a vehicle to pull into a resident’s driveway to let an oncoming vehicle go by.
We encountered an oncoming SUV at one point with no handy driveway. Both of us squeezed as close to the edge as we could and the SUV’s passenger-side tires were half off the shoulder, with a deep ditch there to fall into.
Here is a sampling of the comments:
“The winter boat launch is completely inaccessible because it is at the end of a one-lane, improperly maintained road that does not safely accommodate vehicles with large boats and/or large boat trailers. And it certainly would not accommodate the volume of traffic that would be necessary for any continued material use of the lake for boating.”
Another said, “This boating area was designed for very-small fishing boats. There is a one-lane bridge on this road that could not handle the weight capacity of most boats coming off the lake. This road has serious erosion and nowhere to pull off. As-is no one should be trailering any boat down this road.”
And, more extensively, “The road leading to the park is not well-maintained by the WV DOH, is caving in on the sides, and is almost impassible at parts if you come into contact with another car — only sustained by being able to pull into a resident’s driveway.”
It continues, “Traffic is elevated during the summer months already, with increased reckless driving, drinking, and speeding due to unfamiliar drivers/boat-goers who meet up at the backwaters location. It already puts my family at risk every day during boating months due to bad road conditions. The road cannot sustain additional traffic, especially traffic which includes boats and trailers.
And concludes, “The road needs expanded to handle two full vehicles, with proper-sized lanes, as intended, if you plan on continuing to operate Cheat Lake Park as a public park. … Lake Lynn Generation and WV DOH have long neglected Morgan Run Road and need to support it to continue operating their infrastructure.”
The Division of Highways told us that Morgans Run Road is maintained annually according to the DOH Core Maintenance Plan. The core maintenance plan includes annual pothole patching, mowing twice a year and ditching on a three-year cycle. DOH heavy maintenance crews are currently working on repairing slides on this road.
Also, the road is on the DOH project list, with a note saying it was set for patching sometime from July through October.
Incidentally, the commenters who complained about the road also echo the complaints about Lake Lynn Generation’s poor maintenance of the lake and the park. When we were there on Tuesday, the temperature was 88 degrees, on the way to 90, and the water fountains still weren’t working.
The company has not responded to several requests for comment about park maintenance.
Lake Lynn Generation submitted its request to FERC on July 16, saying its hydroelectric project tailrace and reservoir dissolved oxygen levels have been decreasing due to a lack of precipitation and low reservoir inflows. Lowering the minimum level from 868 feet to no less than 865 feet would increase spillway discharge to address the low dissolved oxygen levels.
To accommodate boaters, Lake Lynn told FERC, it would open the winter boat launch at Cheat Lake Park, which allows access during lower lake levels. This would be a temporary variance, effective through Nov. 1.
Lake Lynn reminded FERC that low oxygen levels have occurred because of low inflow during the months of July through October at the project in past years. It requested and was granted similar temporary variances in September of 2019, 2022 and 2023.
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