Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education
  • Home
  • About
    • Latest News
    • Statement on Systemic Racism
    • Leadership
    • Our Partners
    • Parking and Directions
  • Education
    • People Powered 2023 Program
    • Educational Resources
    • Teacher Institute
    • Internship Program
  • Research
    • Congressional Collections >
      • Robert C. Byrd Congressional Papers
      • Harley O. Staggers, Sr. Congressional Papers
      • Harley O. Staggers, Jr. Congressional Papers
      • Scot Falkner CAO Papers
    • Blog
    • Digital Collections
    • Oral History Project
    • Plan a Visit to the Archives
    • Collecting Policy
  • Events
    • Voices of the Community series
    • Summer Fundraiser 2023
    • Forum on Pollution
    • Formidable - author event
    • Voices of the Community
    • Constitution Day
    • Past Events
  • Support Us
    • Friends of the Byrd Center
    • Name a Seat
    • Annual Report
  • Reservations
  • Login

Maximizing the Impact of Federal Projects: The Belleville Dam and Lock

10/17/2017

 
​By Jody Brumage

In the middle of his first term in the United States Senate in 1963, Senator Robert C. Byrd secured federal appropriations to support flood control and river navigation projects. Many of these projects were authorized through the Flood Control Act of 1962 which authorized the use of federal funding, administered through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to construct dams, levies, and other flood protection infrastructure. In West Virginia, several projects authorized under this legislation were located along the Ohio River which forms the western border of the state and has historically acted as a major industrial transportation route for coal and other goods and resources. In 1965, Senator Byrd successfully increased funding for flood control projects in West Virginia to $45 million and initiated a series of programs to take advantage of the many facets of these large infrastructure projects. 
Picture
Senator Byrd and a representative from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers inspect a map of the Ohio River.
Picture
Senator Byrd visits the construction site of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Project in 1965.
​One of the dams developed under this legislation and supported by Senator Byrd’s efforts was the Belleville Dam and Lock, located on the Ohio River about halfway between Ravenswood and Parkersburg, West Virginia. Preliminary surveys on the site began in 1963 and by 1964 advanced to construction. The Belleville Dam required the excavation of over 961,000 cubic yards of earth and the pouring of 179,110 cubic yards of concrete. A series of 8 gates in the dam can be raised and lowered to various degrees to regulate water flow on the Ohio. Construction of the dam and its associated lock, built on the Ohio side of the river to allow boat traffic to bypass the dam, was completed near the end of 1968.
Picture
The Belleville Dam and Lock on the Ohio River. (Photo from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
​As construction on the Belleville Dam and Lock progressed, Senator Byrd investigated ways to achieve the most benefit from the federally-funded project for West Virginia. The dam already served two roles: improving the navigability of the Ohio River to facilitate increased shipping and providing new flood control infrastructure for the river and the many cities and towns located along its banks and tributaries. A third benefit from the dam project was recreational opportunities. In meetings with his committee staff, Senator Byrd reviewed the options and the costs associated with adding features such as fishing piers, boat ramps, and picnic areas to make the reservoirs associated with these dams places for public recreation. In 1965, Senator Byrd announced that a recreational complex would be added to the Belleville Dam including a boat ramp, visitor services facility, drinking fountains, and picnic sites.

"It is a pleasure for me to see a multi-purpose use of major facilities like the Belleville Dam. The recreation potentials are being explored to their fullest and will be developed for public use." 

Senator Robert C. Byrd, 1965
Picture
Notes detailing the funding of recreational amenities at dams and reservoirs throughout West Virginia.
The precedent set by the Belleville Dam and Lock inspired similar projects across the state. Of West Virginia’s over thirty major dams and reservoirs, half of them provide recreational facilities similar to the ones planned by Senator Byrd at Belleville. Another benefit of dam and reservoir projects that has been slower to be realized is hydropower. Despite several unsuccessful attempts to build-in hydroelectric generating plants at locations throughout West Virginia, at least four have been constructed on the Cheat, Potomac, and Gauley Rivers. The work at Belleville also instructed future plans for appropriations projects which Senator Byrd supported throughout his career, capitalizing on the many beneficial economic, educational, and job creation impacts federally-funded infrastructure projects could bring to West Virginia. 

Comments are closed.
    Welcome to the Byrd Center Blog! We share content here including research from our archival collections, articles from our director, and information on upcoming events. 

    Categories

    All
    Director's Posts
    Intern Blogs
    Posts From The Archives

    Archives

    January 2023
    November 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    November 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2019
    March 2019
    December 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    November 2012
    October 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    December 2011

    RSS Feed

Picture
213 North King Street
PO Box 5000
Shepherd University
Shepherdstown, WV 25443
(304) 876 - 5702

Our Mission:

The Byrd Center advances representative democracy by promoting a better understanding of the United States Congress and the Constitution through programs and research that engage citizens.
© 2021 Robert C. Byrd Center for
​Congressional History and Education
  • Home
  • About
    • Latest News
    • Statement on Systemic Racism
    • Leadership
    • Our Partners
    • Parking and Directions
  • Education
    • People Powered 2023 Program
    • Educational Resources
    • Teacher Institute
    • Internship Program
  • Research
    • Congressional Collections >
      • Robert C. Byrd Congressional Papers
      • Harley O. Staggers, Sr. Congressional Papers
      • Harley O. Staggers, Jr. Congressional Papers
      • Scot Falkner CAO Papers
    • Blog
    • Digital Collections
    • Oral History Project
    • Plan a Visit to the Archives
    • Collecting Policy
  • Events
    • Voices of the Community series
    • Summer Fundraiser 2023
    • Forum on Pollution
    • Formidable - author event
    • Voices of the Community
    • Constitution Day
    • Past Events
  • Support Us
    • Friends of the Byrd Center
    • Name a Seat
    • Annual Report
  • Reservations
  • Login