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Clifton Forge Dam, Virginia
Clifton Forge Dam on Smith Creek in Virginia.
Open in BirdTrout37.8491, -79.8383 · Alleghany County · NID VA005003. Tap the map to open this water in the live app.
What the runs do here
Smith Creek carries no anadromous run on our corridor map, so this page makes no claim about salmon or steelhead at this dam. What it sits on is coldwater — resident trout water — and the section below says which classification says so.
The structure
- Owner
- Town of Clifton Forge Local Government
- Purpose
- Water Supply
- Completed
- 1949 · modified 2020
- Type
- Gravity
- Height
- 57 ft
- Length
- 183 ft
- Storage
- 323 acre-ft · 11 acre pool
- Drainage
- 13 sq mi
- Condition
- Satisfactory · High hazard potential
- Status
- Normal Operations
From the National Inventory of Dams (USACE). Hazard potential is a downstream-consequence classification, not a statement about the structure's condition.
The water above and below
- Smith Creek 0.01 mi from the dam · Class V · stocked holdover (VDWR)
Coldwater designation is the state's own classification. A dam sits on one river and this list is every designated reach within a mile and a half of it, so a tributary mouth shows up here too.
Water right now
| Gauge | Distance | Temp | Flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cowpasture River near Clifton Forge, VA | 5.8 mi | — | 75 cfs |
| James River at Lick Run, VA | 6.0 mi | — | 375 cfs |
| Jackson River at Falling Spring, Va | 7.8 mi | 59.7 °F | — |
Live from USGS. A gauge miles away is a gauge miles away — the distance column is there so you can discount it. A hydro dam's releases move the flow below it on a schedule the gauge sees and this page does not.
Getting to it
- Clifton Forge 2.5 mi · Jackson River
- Low Moor 3.8 mi · boat launch · Jackson River
- Irongate 6.0 mi · boat launch · James River
Public access sites near the dam, straight-line distance. A dam itself is private property unless its owner says otherwise; these are the places the state lists as open.
Fly shops nearby
- Walkabout Outfitters 22.0 mi
- Casta Line Trout Farms 28.1 mi