Cheat Lake
| Cheat Lake | |
|---|---|
| Lake Lynn | |
 Lake Lynn Dam | |
  Cheat Lake Location within West Virginia | |
| Location | Monongalia, West Virginia |
| Coordinates | 39°43′10″N 79°51′24″W / 39.71944°N 79.85667°W[1] |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Cheat River | |
Managing agency | Lake Lynn Generation, LLC[2] |
| Built | 1925 |
| Max. length | 13 mi (21 km)[2] |
Surface area | 1,730 acres (700 ha) |
Surface elevation | 870 ft (270 m)[3] |
| Settlements | Morgantown, West Virginia |
Cheat Lake is a 13-mile-long (21 km) reservoir on the Cheat River in Monongalia County, West Virginia, United States.[2] It was originally named Lake Lynn, but the Board on Geographic Names officially decided upon Cheat Lake as the reservoir's name in 1976.[1] Cheat Lake is located immediately downstream of the 10-mile-long (16 km) Cheat Canyon.
Cheat Lake has three marinas located towards the river end of the reservoir. They are Edgewater Marina, Cheat Lake Marina, and Sunset Beach Marina.[citation needed]
Cheat Lake Dam is located directly south of the Mason–Dixon line border with Pennsylvania. The dam has a generating capacity of 52 megawatts (70,000 hp)[2] using four Francis turbines.[4] Cheat Lake Dam's total length across the Cheat River is approximately 1,000 feet (300 m). The first water flowed over the dam on December 23, 1925[2] and it began its operation on May 31, 1926.
A warning system delivers light and sound alerts of high-flow discharges one mile (1.6 km) downstream of the dam, and station personnel can operate it to warn of violations to the 1,000-foot (300 m) upstream and 1,200-foot (370 m) downstream exclusion zones.[5]
See also
[edit]
- List of lakes of West Virginia
- Mont Chateau State Park, a former state park (1955–1977) along Cheat Lake
- Coopers Rock State Forest
- Snake Hill Wildlife Management Area
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Cheat Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. June 27, 1980. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Cheat Lake Today". Allegheny Energy. Archived from the original on May 7, 2010. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
- ↑ Lake Lynn, Pennsylvania-West Virginia quadrangle (Map). 1:24,000. 7.5-Minute Series (Topographic). U.S. Geological Survey. 1997. ISBN 978-0-607-93808-1.
- ↑ "Lake Lynn". Eagle Creek Renewable Energy. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
- ↑ "Safety". Cheat Lake Today. Lake Lynn Generation, LLC. 2026. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
External links
[edit]- CheatLake.com Informational website about Cheat Lake and surrounding area. Provides a map of the lake and details about the marinas & restaurants.
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. WV-30, "Lake Lynn Hydroelectric Power House & Dam, Cheat River, Morgantown vicinity, Monongalia County, WV", 58 photos, 7 data pages, 3 photo caption pages
