ROCKY MOUNT, Va., Sept. 14, 2010 – Appalachian Power has replaced the first of Smith Mountain Lake navigation signs using new colors and lettering sequences.
 
The new sign is located at 16R on the Roanoke River south of the area known as the “S curve” below Smith Mountain State Park Beach and the Franklin County Community Park Beach.
 
One of two original triangle-shaped marker signs at the location had been damaged. The signs had white background with red markings. Both were replaced with slightly larger signs that use bright red backgrounds and markings.
 
The new federal operating license for Appalachian Power’s Smith Mountain Hydroelectric Project became effective April 1 and with it the company assumed responsibility for lateral marks identifying the defined waterway within the project.
 
Appalachian Power consulted with the United States Coast Guard (USCG) to obtain a sign that reflects USCG standards.  Although the new sign is an example of those standards, Appalachian will also continue to work with its Aids to Navigation Technical Advisory Committee to refine criteria for signage that reflects local needs and meets USCG standards. 
 
“The USCG conducted a summer inspection on each lateral mark—or channel marker—at the project but has not yet reported its findings,” said Teresa Rogers, project manager.
 
“Because the previous sign was down and required replacement, we determined it would be best to replace it with something that currently meets USCG standards even though it is different than everything else on the lake,” said Rogers.  “Most all other signs at Smith Mountain are white with a red border or white with a green border.”
 
In addition to color changes the new signs use a standardized lettering format that puts the mileage number before the channel abbreviation. In this case it is “16R.” The old sign read “R 16.”
 
Appalachian will continue to replace signs as needed until its Aids to Navigation Management Plan has been implemented and the system is approved by the USCG.
 
Smith Mountain Project is 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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