Published: October 12, 2008 08:45 pm      

Dramatic transformation takes place at Giles County lake

PEMBROKE, Va. — Veteran Bluefield aerial photographer Mel Grubb has been flying over the mountains of southern West Virginia and southwestern Virginia for many years, but the image of a dry Mountain Lake was something he did not expect to see.

“It was down about one-third of the way a year or so ago, but the level came back up,” Grubb, 82, said. “I’ve been flying over it for years, and mostly, I’ve seen it full.” When completely full, the lake covers about 50 acres and is approximately 100 feet deep at its deepest point.

Although it has been an interesting spot to visit for centuries, Mountain Lake has received a lot of additional exposure in recent weeks after all the water ran out. In the abstract taken from their 1999 report on Mountain Lake, scientists from Virginia Tech’s biology and geology departments Jon C. Cawley, Bruce C. Parker and Lee J. Perren, wrote that “Mountain Lake is the only natural lake of significance in the unglatiated southern Appalachian Highlands.”

Based on historical data from the past 250 years as well as sediment records dating back 6,000 years, “the size of the lake has varied periodically.” Although the Tech researchers discussed the other scholarly suggestions for periodic loss of water from the lake, they found that the water drains through “ a narrow open crevice in the deepest portion of the lake.

“Hydrologic observations and resistivity suggest preferential water movement along this fracture, as well as leakage directly from the lake,” according to the abstract. “The present study suggests conduit erosion within this feature and periodic vertical downsetting of overlying Clinch material as the primary mechanism of lake origin and water-level fluctuations through time.”

While the Giles County resort has a history of thrilling its guests, the late summer and early fall water loss has brought about some unexpected excitement. In late September “human remains were found in the lake bed — dating back to the early 1900s,” Emily Woodall of the Mountain Lake Conservancy wrote in response to a question.

Also found were a human tooth, a partial knife, a pair of leather shoes, some black fabric and a gold ring, which appeared to be a class ring, according to Investigator Thomas Gautier of the Giles County Sheriff’s Department in a previous report.

Sheriff’s department investigator Lt. Ron Hamlin told the Associated Press that some coins were found near the remains. The latest coin was dated 1920.

Mountain Lake is fed by mountain springs, but regional water tables have been down in recent years. “We’re not too far below normal for this year,” Steve Keighton of the National Weather Service in Blacksburg, Va., said. Kreighton said that the Weather Service is calling for “near normal to below normal” precipitation for the next 30-90 days.

The Virginia Geological Society estimated that Mountain Lake is 10,000 years old, according to information on the Mountain Lake Conservancy web site. The lake’s level depends on the springs and ground water that feed out, and during periods of low rainfall, the lake level responds accordingly. The explorer Christopher Gist of the Ohio Land Surveying Company was the first European to visit the lake in 1751, according to the web site.

– Contact Bill Archer at barcher@bdtonline.com