ROANOKE, Va., June 30, 2012 – The boat barrier at Smith Mountain Lake Dam, which keeps boaters from approaching the dam, broke apart in last night’s severe storms. Boaters are asked to stay at least 300 feet away from the dam for safety’s sake.

“We are working on a temporary barrier that will keep boaters away from the dam, and we are patrolling the area,” said Frank Simms, Appalachian Power hydro manager. “In the meantime, however, we are asking boaters to stay well away from the dam.”

Simms said that this is a popular weekend for boaters to be on the lake. Despite the more crowded conditions, boaters still need to keep clear of the area around the dam.

Appalachian Power has 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is a unit of American Electric Power, one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, which delivers electricity to 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.