Lake Merriweather, Little Calfpasture (Goshen Dam), VA

Contact:Brian K. Rheinhart (757) 201-7768

AUTHORIZATION:  Section 507(3) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-303), as amended.

LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION:

·       Approximately 110 miles west-northwest of Richmond.

·       2000 Census population (approximately):  400 (town of Goshen).

·       2020 Forecast population:  450.

·       Per Capita Income:  $14,400.

· Lake Merriweather, a 425-acre impoundment created by a 38-foot-high dam known as the Goshen Dam, is located in the western part of Virginia, 30 miles northwest of Lexington.  The Goshen Dam is an earthen structure with a reinforced concrete overflow spillway 158 feet wide equipped with a series of 10 14-foot-wide by 9.5-foot-high crest control gates.  The National Capital Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America owns the lake and dam, and its purpose is to provide recreation and flood control.  The dam’s existing spillway capacity does not meet National Dam Safety Regulations, and the spillway’s crest gates susceptibility to damage during flood events raise serious concerns about possible dam overtopping or failing during a large flood event.  A technical study recommending fixing (setting) the existing spillway crest at elevation 1,369 and roller-compacted concrete armor of the dam embankment was approved on December 11, 2006.  The Norfolk District has the capability to initiate construction in fiscal year 2008.