Issue 13•October 2005 Keeping you informed about the land and water we care about.
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This issue’s content:
1. Join and Support the Friends of Claytor Lake
2. Claytor Lake Drawdown
3. FOCL Map Reissue
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1. Join and Support the Friends of Claytor Lake
If you have not joined or renewed your membership in the Friends of Claytor Lake
this year, please consider it now. Your contributions are much needed and help us
to care for Claytor Lake by making it a cleaner, safer place for you and your family.
Your contributions are used to help fund our clean-up operations, monitor water
quality, promote safety, and promote stewardship in the lake.
We have 5 membership giving levels for you to consider:
But anything you can do to support us is greatly appreciated!
2. Claytor Lake Drawdown
First a little background on the drawdown:
Traditionally, the lake is drawn down once a year at the end of the boating/fishing
season to allow homeowners around the lake to clean up debris and work on the
shoreline and docks. Appalachian Electric Power (AEP) has the final say in the
drawdown of the lake, but the Friends of Claytor Lake recommends the timing of
the drawdown.
Aerial shot of Claytor Lake State Park Marina during the 2003 drawdown from Jeff Arnold.
There are three things FOCL considers when recommending the drawdown dates:
1. The minimization of any negative affects on the environment
2. How the timing affects the ability of homeowners to make improvements
3. The desire to keep the boating/fishing season open as long as possible
Traditionally the drawdown has taken place over the month of November, though
in 2003 we suggested moving it to December to see if the colder weather would
have an inhibiting effect on the hydrilla in the lake. (It did not.) Coinciding with
that December drawdown, a study was performed on Claytor Lake’s mussel
population by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) and
Virginia Tech.
As a result of this study, this year we received a recommendation from the VDGIF
that we should consider either shortening the drawdown, moving it to an earlier
time of the year to avoid freezing temperatures and/or doing it every other year
in order to reduce the potentially negative affect a drawdown has on the mussel
population. Though the study was inconclusive, the possibility exists that extended
periods of drawdown during frozen months could negatively affect the mussel
population by impeding their ability to burrow in the lake bed to survive the winter.
With this and the other considerations in mind, FOCL has recommended that the
drawdown be moved up slightly to start at the end of October yet remain down
for the normal two full weeks to facilitate work around the shoreline. We feel that
providing time to work around the shoreline, giving time to clean up debris and
improve dock structures, is important for the overall health of the lake. Also our
recommendation does not shorten the boating/fishing season significantly.
Finally it was noted during the discussion that since the mussel study was done
during the lone December drawdown (which was an exceptionally cold December)
our normal drawdown recommendation of November may not negatively affect
the mussel population. Therefore we have asked that an additional study be done
on the mussel population during this year’s drawdown so that more conclusive
information may be obtained.
FOCL’s recommendation to AEP for the drawdown of Claytor Lake:
•October 30 – November 5: draw lake down 5’ to 1841’ above sea level
•November 6 – November 19: lake to remain down 5’ at 1841’
•November 20 - November 27: allow lake to return to full pond of 1846’
above sea level (depending upon weather conditions)
3. FOCL Map Reissue
The first issue of the Friends of Claytor Lake Map has been a great success and we
thank all of you who have supported us with a purchase of the map. Now that we
are running low on copies of the first issue, we are working on a new and improved
second issue of the map.
Planned improvements for the second issue of the FOCL Map:
•The lake will be more prominent; that is, there will be less land and more lake.
•We are striving to make the map more functional for boaters and fisherman
•More detailed depth markings and markings of underwater obstructions
•Correcting any errors.
Bill Cunningham and Mike Spraker make corrections to the map at the September Board Meeting.
If you have any suggestions for the map or have discovered an error on the map,
please email us with details at:
info@focl.org
And thanks for your help!
