Appalachian proposes to begin lowering the reservoir level November 7. The lake would be lowered approximately one foot per day for three days until the reservoir reaches a level of 1,843 feet above sea level. This level would be maintained through the evening of November 18, when it would begin to refill, with a target date of being at normal elevation by November 21.

Working with Friends of Claytor Lake (FOCL), Pulaski County and several state agencies, the company developed the proposed mitigation plan to allow the drawdown and protect the mussels. A key component of the plan involves volunteer surveys of the shoreline to identify stranded mussels and return them to the water.                       

Appalachian Power has more than 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is a unit of American Electric Power, one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, which delivers electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. 

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