ATTENTION Cheat Lake Property Owners and Boaters (10/13/2023): Starting at 12:00 a.m. on November 1, 2023, winter lake level limits will go into effect on Cheat Lake. At that time, minimum reservoir levels will decrease from 868-ft to 857-ft. Please remove all docks prior to this time. Winter lake levels will remain in effect until 11:59 p.m. on March 31, 2024. The winter boat launch ramp at Cheat Lake Park will be open from November 1, 2023, until May 1, 2024, to accommodate boaters who wish to launch a boat on Cheat Lake. Lake Lynn Generation maintains levels at Cheat Lake in accordance with our FERC license.
Fact Sheet
Located in northeastern Monongalia County, W.Va., Cheat Lake was formed in 1925 by damming the Cheat River to serve the needs of a hydroelectric generating facility, the 52-megawatt Lake Lynn Power Station, now owned and operated by Lake Lynn Generation, LLC.
The area was documented for development by a young George Washington, who envisioned a canal and portage system involving the Cheat River and the Lake Lynn area. Actual planning and development of the hydro plant began in 1910, but was stalled around the time of World War I. Construction was resumed in 1925, and the first water flowed over the 125-foot dam on Dec. 23, 1925.
At a ceremony in 1927, a bronze tablet, embedded in a great rock near the power station, dedicates the lake and the generating facility to the public “In lasting beauty for recreation and the supplying of essential service.” The 13-mile lake has been a popular recreation spot ever since.
In June 2000, Allegheny Energy added a 20-acre park and 4.5-mile hiking and biking trail on the banks of Cheat Lake for the enjoyment of the general public.
General Information
- Generating Capacity – 52 megawatts (52,000 Kilowatts)
- Operation date: May 31, 1926
- Size of Dam
- Total length: 1,000 feet
- Length of the spillway: 624 feet
- Maximum height: 125 feet
Generator
- (4)-Westinghouse 16,000 KVA generators
Turbine
- Capacity Date On-Line Generator Mfg
- Unit 1-(4)-16,000 kW 1926 Westinghouse
- (4)-I.P. Morris 18,000 HP Francis type reaction turbines
