MORGANTOWN – Lake Lynn Generation has received OK’s from several government agencies for its proposal to lower the level of Cheat Lake by 3 feet to mitigate reduced dissolved oxygen levels.
The company submitted the agency communications to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which posted them on Wednesday.
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, in an email dated July 18, apologized for missing the company’s June 27 deadline for a reply. DEP said that following coordination with the Division of Natural Resources, it agrees with the proposal. DNR’s district fisheries biologist also agreed in a separate email.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission said it supports lake Lynn’s request to follow the same procedure it used in 2019.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service also agreed with Lake Lynn’s request to follow the same procedure it has used in prior years.
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.
Public response to the proposal has been uniformly negative, as we’ve reported. Two more letters of opposition were posted on Wednesday.
One said, “The lake is used by local residents and tourists for boating, fishing, swimming, kayaking,and paddle boarding. All of these will either become impossible or dangerous with lower water levels. Boat docks will become too high making commercial and residential use impossible creating a devastating effect for property owners on the lake and boat owners who rent dock space.”
The letter said lowering the level will discourage tourist trade. And, “the alternative boat launch suggested at Cheat Lake Park cannot in any way support the boat traffic that would be incoming to access the lake. Morgan Run Rd is the only access road in and out. It is basically a one lane country road, with a very narrow bridge in one section, deep gullies on the sides, that cannot possibly handle trucks with boat trailers.”
The other letter noted that heavy rainfalls in recent days “should have been an opportunity for Lake Lynn Generation to replenish the reservoir levels and better prepare for potential future drought conditions. However, instead of retaining this valuable water, Lake Lynn Generation promptly reduced the lake levels to their minimum permissible limits.
“This immediate drawdown,” the letter said, “suggests a prioritization of short-term power generation over long-term water resource management and reservoir stability. The repeated requests for temporary variances, coupled with the recent mismanagement of water levels despite favorable conditions, indicate a troubling disregard for the long-term health of Cheat Lake.”
Email: dbeard@dominionpost.com
