1966 80mw Summersville Dam on Gauley River near Summersville, WV

(Satellite)

Construction of this dam also required building a new Hughes Bridge.

"In February 1960, the construction of Summersville Lake began under the supervision of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. 8 By 1966, the construction was successfully completed, and the dam was inaugurated by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 3 of that year. 

"At the time of its completion, the Summersville Lake Dam stood out for its size. Measuring 390 feet in height and spanning 2,280 feet in length, it was recognized as the second-largest rock-fill dam in the eastern United States. Furthermore, Summersville Lake held the distinction of being the largest lake in the state, covering an area of 2,700 acres with over 60 miles of shoreline when at its summer pool level."

[Bridges & Tunnels]

ByrdCenter, aerial view by USACE Huntington Division

 

Mikalio Miko Konatarevic, Apr 2023

LowImpactHydro
A minimum flow of 100cfs is maintained. The 80mw powerhouse was added in 2001.
A penstock was added to one of the outputs to divert water to the powerhouse. It is 17' (5.2m) in diameter. 

I came across a lot of photos with this view of the dam.  This one has one of the outlets open.

TripAdvisor, WVAngler, Jun 2015

 

SumersvilleWV
"A two-unit powerhouse was constructed on the right bank of the dam and connected to the existing outlet structure by a 17 ft diameter steel penstock. A 10 mile long, 69,000 volt electrical line ties the powerhouse to the utility transmission grid. Two vertical Francis turbines rated at 60,000 hp at a net head of 260 ft discharge water at a rate of 2,200 cu ft/s. The direct-drive synchronous generators are rated at 44,000 MW."

 

Hydro, p11 via SumersvilleWV

The site has a static display of a valve.

TripAdvisor, RialbTraveler, May 2018

Mikailo Miko Konatarevic, Apr 2023

All three outlets were open in 2021.

peaches Mann, Sep 2021

TripAdvisor, SherrB, Jun 2016

register-herald, submitted photo
"Every 10 years, the lake is drawn down an extra 55 feet [17m] so that the dam’s intake structure can be accessed, considerably shrinking the 2,800-acre lake to a mere 400 acres. The lake is currently at 1,520 feet above sea level, which is 132 feet [40m] below its summer level."
So the elevation of the normal winter pool is 1575' above sea level, and the summer pool is 1652'.

I presume the bare spot on the left side of this image is the emergency spillway.

Satellite

"Every fall, for 6 weekends beginning in September, the Army Corp of Engineers begins scheduled releases to allow rafters to experience the full force of the Gauley River. The Upper Gauley, one of the top whitewater destinations in the world, is full on, in your face, class V whitewater. The Lower Gauley is more tame, with plenty of epic rapids and some of the best scenery in all of West Virginia." [aceraft]