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At the point where waters of the Roanoke River flowed from the
Piedmont to the Coastal Plains, near what is now the city of Roanoke Rapids,
turbulent rapids had blocked the way for most larger boats.
About two centuries ago, as the area’s economy and population
continued to grow, this rock obstacle was bypassed. The Roanoke Canal carried
riverboats and provided flowing water to power a number of mills in the area.
But the mills tapped but a fraction of the river’s tremendous power.
It wasn’t until the middle of the 20th Century that political
realities and a growing economy hungry for low-cost energy combined to develop
the river’s full potential.
The Virginia Electric and Power Company, now known as Dominion
North Carolina Power and Dominion Virginia Power in those states, began
construction of a larger dam upstream from Roanoke Rapids in 1960 and began
generating power there in late 1963. The project, the Gaston Dam, formed a lake
of more than 20,000 acres and generates up to 224,000 kilowatts of electric
power.
Unlike the Roanoke Rapids Dam, Gaston Dam has the ability to hold
back floodwaters. Hydroelectric stations, such as Roanoke Rapids and Gaston,
generate the electricity needed in a growing, increasingly competitive economy.
The unmanned Gaston station upstream from Roanoke Rapids is
monitored and controlled remotely from the Roanoke Rapids control room. The
Gaston Dam includes a 1,600-foot-long earthen section, and another 2,000-foot
section built of concrete. Just over one-fourth of the concrete section serves
as a spillway.
The dam is 105 feet high, with a normal operating level for water
at about 15 feet below the height. The station’s four turbine generators are
located in a 300-foot-long concrete powerhouse. Each turbine produces 77,000
horse power, and spins a generator that can generate 56,000 kilowatts. The
station’s total capacity is c. 224,000 kilowatts.
History
information
provided courtesy of Dominion NC Power |
