MORGANTOWN, W.Va. A plan to lower the level of Cheat Lake by three feet could be getting a second look following the efforts of Republican candidate for the House of Delegates seat in the 82nd District, David McCormick.
Lake Lynn Generation submitted the request due to decreasing oxygen levels in the hydroelectric project tailrace caused by historically low rainfall totals. Lowering the minimum level to no less than 865 feet from 868 feet will address the low dissolved oxygen levels. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved similar temporary variances in September of 2019, 2022. and 2023.
On WAJR’s “Talk of the Town,” McCormick said the proposal was approved only at the staff level of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and not reviewed by the director or the office of the governor. McCormick, a small business owner and resident in the Cheat Lake area, said he has been in communication with the office of Governor Jim Justice regarding the DEP and U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito to seek help from (FERC).
“They’ve put this back under review, and I’m not going to speak for them for sure about what the letter is going to say,” McCormick said. “I will tell you, I think we’ll see a change in direction from them very soon.”
If approved, conditions for boating and recreation nearly impossible and, in some cases, even dangerous as it relates to privately owned docks. The businesses that support the lake economy employ hundreds of people, and the entrepreneurs depend on the “summer season” to meet financial obligations and maintain jobs that have been there for decades.
“It’s hundreds of jobs and dozens of businesses that rely on the lake between Memorial Day and Labor Day to make their year,” McCormick said. “When you start taking part of that away, it makes it difficult for the business owner.”
The result of the proposal would be that boat traffic to the lake would be required to use Morgan Run Road. McCormick said Morgan Run Road has been in very poor condition for many years and cannot safely accommodate the volume of traffic expected every year.
“It’s a shame it’s like it is—it needs to be fixed, the ditches need to be fixed, and the road needs to be widened,” McCormick said. “So, they’re going to jam everybody onto that road who wants to go on the lake in the summer time? It just doesn’t make sense.”
McCormick hopes an in-depth review will show the negative impact the proposal would create and give officials the information needed to avoid lowering the lake level.
“We hope they’ll reverse course so businesses can continue to operate and thrive in the summer on the lake,” McCormick said. “And people can enjoy the lake.”
McCormick said if the lake were lowered, it would be catastrophic for the residents, businesses, employees, and people who travel to the area for activities at the lake. The economic impact could create extended negative impacts that would be felt for years to come.
“I’m business first, and I will always look out for small business people because that’s what I am and that’s what I’m trying to do,” McCormick said.