HUNTINGTON, W.VA. – The public is invited to a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the new fishing pier in Bluestone State Park near Hinton, W.Va., on Tuesday, July 9, 2019, at 1:00 p.m.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has built a fishing pier at Bluestone State Park to increase fishing access as it begins its final phase of construction at Bluestone Dam to ensure it continues to provide flood risk reduction and recreational benefits in the future.
Because of the construction, the fishing pier at the dam must be closed because it is within the construction work limits. The work will take 8 to 10 years, so the Corps looked for ways to provide the public other opportunities to fish at an alternative location. Working with the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, which operates Bluestone State Park, the Corps added a new fishing pier at the park for the public.
Bluestone Dam was built to reduce flood risks on the New, Kanawha and Ohio Rivers. Since its construction the dam has reduced nearly $6 billion dollars in flood damages and protected lives. Ongoing construction at Bluestone Dam is being conducted to increase the dam’s stability. Additional construction is required to improve the primary stilling basin (the area just below the dam) to enable the dam to handle additional discharge resulting from extreme storms.
For more information, contact Public Affairs at 304-399-5353.
Release no. 19-009