Smith Mountain Project: Pittsylvania County

Appalachian Power Company constructed Smith Mountain and Leesville Dams on the Roanoke River between 1960 and 1963 to generate hydroelectric energy. Between the dams, the river rose to form 3,400-acre Leesville Lake. West of Smith Mountain Dam, the Blackwater and Roanoke Rivers covered 20,600 acres that had primarily been farmland, forming Smith Mountain Lake. On 7 March 1966, Smith Mountain Lake's water level first reached “full pond” (795 feet above sea level). The largest lake wholly within Virginia, it became a popular residential area and recreational destination. The two lakes have a combined shoreline of 88 miles in Pittsylvania County.