They had been around since the Civil War, but when heavy rains washed away the dams of the Powhatan Lakes in 2004 local wildlife officials wondered where they would find the money to restore the site.

Funding was a concern from the outset, said Gary Martel, Director of Fisheries for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, but County officials offered their support to the project immediately.

Now, four years and just over 2 million dollars later, the former prime fishing spot is back open for business.

On April 24, Martel presided over a rededication ceremony to officially reopen the 66-acre lakes, which the DGIF intends to have stocked by next year.

Anglers can take advantage of the lakes now, but only for catch and release fishing.

The journey to bring back the lakes, once a spot known by locals for the trophy largemouth bass cruising their waters, began almost immediately after a torrential downpour destroyed both the upper and lower dams on June 16, 2004 (see timeline).

According to the DGIF’s James Adams, the first step in the process had been to measure exactly how much damage had been caused by the breaching of the dams, which had first been constructed for mill use in the 1850s.

Getting the initial surveying and plans completed would take until March of 2007, when construction finally began.

Adams said he was particularly pleased that the builders were able to incorporate some of the material from the first dams into the project. The facing of the emergency spillway is made up of the stone from the original rock.

Not only were they able to complete the project in an environmentally conscious way by reusing the material, said Adams, they were also able to construct the dams in a way that blends in with the natural surroundings.

“What we did out there is in tune with the rural character of the county, so it fits nicely,” he said.

While Martel said there are still plans to include more trails and a wildlife viewing platform in the future, the bulk of the work has now been completed.

Gasoline powered engines are prohibited on the water, but canoeing and kayak fishing is allowed.

As for the return of the trophy bass, Martel says it may be a just a little while longer before any record setters are pulled from the waters.

“There wile be good fishing in a couple of years,” he said last Friday, “but it’s not something that occurs in a short period of time.”

June 16, 2004
Sometime between 11 and 11:30 p.m. the upper dam of the Powhatan Lakes, which predated the Civil War, overflowed and then burst, washing out the lower dam. The event was attributed to a summer storm that had stalled over the County, dumping over five inches of rain in less than two hours.

June 17, 2004
The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries makes its initial assessment of the damage

October, 2004
The DGIF commissions an engineering estimate to figure out what will be needed to reconstruct the dam according to modern safety standards.

July 1, 2005
An appropriation bill is passed to fund the work on the dam. The money for the project also came from an insurance policy on the lakes.
The engineering firm of Burgess and Niple is hired to lead the project.

September 2006
Final plans are approved and all environmental permits secured.

December 2006
The construction contract is awarded to Angler Environmental

March 2007
Construction work on the new dams begins

April 24, 2008
The Powhatan Lakes are officially reopened.