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The West Virginia Encyclopedia
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The West Virginia Encyclopedia
Mount Storm Lake, a 1,200-acre impoundment, is located in Grant County on the Stony River, a tributary of the North Branch of the Potomac River. The lake was named for the nearby community of Mount Storm. Built in 1965 to supply water to a coal-fired power plant, Mount Storm Lake continues to be used for that purpose.
Dominion Power’s 1,600-megawatt electric generating plant dominates the shoreline of Mount Storm Lake. The water used for cooling is still warm when returned to the lake, raising the temperature of the lake. Located in an area known for cold weather and at an elevation of 3,244 feet, Mount Storm remains largely ice-free in winter. The warm lake water often produces heavy fog during cold weather.
Fishermen frequent the warm lake year-round, fishing through the winter. Mount Storm Lake is popular with boaters as well, and it is a favorite with scuba divers from a wide area. The divers enjoy the warm water and lake depths of as much as 132 feet. Recreational aspects of Mount Storm Lake are managed by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources in conjunction with Dominion Power.
Releases from Mount Storm Lake and Jennings Randolph Lake on the North Branch itself now serve to augment the flow of the North Branch. Mount Storm Lake is not used for flood control.