Appalachian Power plans to close the Byllesby portage and public boat ramp on the New River through Dec. 31 to allow for safe repairs at the Byllesby Dam.
The repairs require lowering the Byllesby reservoir to an elevation of 2,071 feet, or approximately eight feet below normal full pond of 2,079 feet.
The Byllesby dam and powerhouse, and its sister Buck dam and powerhouse downstream, are operated by the company and are located in Carroll County near Galax.
Signs indicating the portage closure will be posted at Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources access points above the Byllesby reservoir. The alternative for river kayakers and canoeists is to take out at Fries, the last access before reaching Byllesby. The nearest location to put in downstream of the dam (hand-launching only) is at Ivanhoe. The first phase of repairs involves removing debris from the intake screens. Once repairs are complete, the reservoir will be refilled based upon inflow.
Appalachian Power has 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is part of American Electric Power, which is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions. AEP’s approximately 16,800 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 223,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.5 million customers in 11 states. AEP is also one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 30,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including 5,500 megawatts of renewable energy.
