Bluestone Lake levels higher because of Hurricane Helene waters, officials say

A photo taken from the top of Bluestone Dam looking toward the city of Hinton, W.Va. (Army Corps of Engineer | Courtesy photo)

With the arrival of water from North Carolina and Virginia resulting from Hurricane Helene, the levels of a Southern West Virginia lake will be higher than usual for the next several weeks, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in a news release Monday.

Bluestone Lake crested Sunday evening at 1493.7 feet, up from its summer levels of 1410 feet, the Army Corps said.

Bluestone Dam helps regulate water from a 4,600 square-mile basin drained by the New River, which starts in North Carolina and crosses Southwestern Virginia before coming into West Virginia.

Flash flooding from Hurricane Helene devastated communities in the southern United States, particularly in Western North Carolina. The death toll from the storm had reached at least 121 by Monday, with more expected as emergency officials reached cut off areas, according to reporting by the Associated Press.

Bluestone Dam is located directly upstream from the city of Hinton, the county seat of Summers County. Hinton city manager Cris Meadows told West Virginia Watch Monday morning that there were no flooding issues in the city.

“The dam did what it was supposed to,” Meadows said. “Unfortunately when it does that, there is a lot of debris behind it that will have to be dealt with at some point.”

The dam is designed and continues to reduce flooding to several downstream communities, including Hinton, Thurmond, Kanawha Falls, Montgomery, Cabin Creek, Charleston, St. Albans, Winfield, Buffalo and Point Pleasant, the Army Corps said. It also reduces flood risks to communities along the Ohio River.

Dam operations did not have an impact on flash flooding upstream in Western North Carolina and Southwestern Virginia, the Army Corps said.

The lake was at 1493.6 feet Monday afternoon and falling slowly, the Army Corps said.

“We do not anticipate opening the crest gates on top of the dam,” the release said. “Huntington District Dam Safety personnel remain on-site to monitor the performance of the dam through this event. “

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