Photo of Dale Hollow Dam, with a dam with water pouring through the turbines, people in lower left looking up at it.

Hydropower

Marmet Locks and Dam

Huntington District
Published Jan. 10, 2024
Marmet Locks and Dam

Marmet Locks and Dam

 

The locks were opened in 1933 and the dam was completed in 1934.

A project to repair and expand the Marmet Locks and Dam was completed in 2008.  Marmet Locks and Dam are a key component of the transportation infrastructure linking the Kanawha Valley, an important chemical and coal producing area, to its raw materials supply and product markets.

Authority
River and Harbor Act of 3 July 1930.

Cost
Construction $3,565,900

Dam
Non-navigable, gated dam, top length 557ft-5-1/2". Five roller gates, spanning 100ft-3-1/2" between piers. Damming height, 26 feet.

Easements
Of an estimated 409 acres in the project, approximately 8 acres fee required for the lock site, 13 acres fee for the abutment site, and flowage easements or other lesser interests over the remaining area.

Hydroelectric
N/A

Locks
Twin locks, each of which is 56 feet wide by 360 feet long, with miter gates.

Net Land Owned
8.0 acres fee at lock site. 12.8 acres fee at abutment site. 388.3 acres flowage easements.

Pools
Normal upper pool elevation 590.0 feet, m.s.l., upper pool length 15.0 miles to London Dam, normal upper pool surface area 1,300 acres, normal lower pool elevation 566.0 feet m.s.l. (upper pool of Winfield Dam), and normal lift 24.0 feet.

Relocations
No extensive relocations necessary, but remedial measures required to adapt certain facilities to new pool conditions.

Status
All construction work is complete. The project was placed in operation during August 1933 and was completed in June 1934.


Contact Information
304-949-1175

How To Find Us
Kanawha River, 67.7 miles above mouth of River at Marmet, W. Va

Recreation
One recreation area exist and one is proposed



Hydropower Projects

Hydropower
1/12/2024
The Nashville District Hydropower Program began under the Flood Control Act of 1938, which authorized minimum provisions for hydropower at flood control projects.  The first power plant constructed in...
Kentucky Lock
1/11/2024
Kentucky Lock is located near Gilbertsville, Kentucky, 22.4 miles from the confluence of the Tennessee and Ohio Rivers.  It is 20 miles east of Paducah, Kentucky. The 184-mile reservoir created by...
Wolf Creek Dam
1/11/2024
History of Wolf Creek DamThe Wolf Creek Project was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1938 and the Rivers and Harbor Act of 1946.  Construction of the project, designed and supervised by the U.S...
Old Hickory Dam
1/11/2024
HistoryThe Old Hickory Lock and Dam, located on the Cumberland River at mile 216.2 in Sumner and Davidson Counties, Tennessee, and are approximately 25 miles upstream from Nashville, Tenn. The City of...
Martins Fork Dam
1/11/2024
HistoryMartins Fork Lake is located at river mile 15.6 on the Martins Fork of the Cumberland River in the scenic mountainous terrain of Harlan County, 13 miles southeast of the town of Harlan,...
Laurel River Dam
1/11/2024
Laurel River Lake is a key project in the development of the Cumberland River Basin.  The lake is located in southeastern Kentucky, encompassing portions of Laurel and Whitley Counties. In the 1960's,...