ROCKY MOUNT, Va., Sept. 15, 2010 – Appalachian Power and the steering committee established to assist in the review of the Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) for the Smith Mountain Pumped Storage Project will hold a public meeting next week to update area residents on progress.
 
The meeting will be held Thursday, September 23 at Trinity Ecumenical Parish from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.  The church is located on Route 122 in Moneta.
 
The meeting is open to all area residents, businesses and recreational users of Smith Mountain and Leesville reservoirs. It will begin with opening remarks from Appalachian staff followed by an opportunity to visit information stations in an open house format.
 
The SMP is a comprehensive plan designed to manage the multiple resources of the shorelines of both project reservoirs so they are consistent with the company’s operating license requirements, project purpose and needs of the public. It provides guidelines, regulations and a permitting process for shoreline development and construction.
 
A review of the SMP is required every five years by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The Commission approved the project’s first SMP in 2005. Appalachian began operating under its second operating license from FERC earlier this year.
 
The steering committee was organized last year to participate in the mandated review of the SMP. The committee includes representatives from more than a dozen local governments, business organizations, property associations, developers and state agencies.
 
The purpose of the meeting is to update the public and gather community input regarding   proposed revisions to the SMP.  The company will file its review proposals with FERC later this year. 
 
Steering Committee members will host information stations that will provide relevant material and allow participant input.
 
In addition to an earlier public meeting, Appalachian Power and the steering committee have held numerous work sessions and conducted a series of discussions with specific stakeholder groups such as marina operators and dock builders.
 
The Shoreline Management Plan and related information on the review can be found at www.smithmtn.com .
 
Appalachian Power built and began operating Smith Mountain Project in the 1960s as a 636-megawatt pumped storage hydroelectric facility that utilizes an upper reservoir (Smith Mountain Lake) and a lower reservoir (Leesville Lake).  Water stored in Smith Mountain Lake first passes through turbine-generators in the powerhouse to produce electricity and is discharged into Leesville Lake.  Most of the water is retained in Leesville Lake and pumped back into the Smith Mountain Lake for re-use.  A portion of the water goes through the turbine-generators at the Leesville powerhouse to generate additional electricity and to meet the minimum discharge requirements of the project´s operating license. 
 
Appalachian Power provides electricity to 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, with more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. 
 
 
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