COVINGTON, Va. (AP) - State and federal agencies plan to simulate a storm event on the Jackson River to test a dam's effect on water quality.
The test is set to begin at around 6 a.m. Wednesday at the Gaithright Dam near Covington.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says water will be gradually released from the dam to a maximum surge of 3,500 cubic feet per second. The controlled release will test whether simulating a storm event can remove algae and improve water quality as effectively as a real storm.
The test is part of a study by the corps to determine whether changing the dam's low-flow augmentation operations can improve the lower Jackson River's water quality and ecological resources without affecting fisheries in Lake Moomaw and a trout fishery below the dam.
