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Claytor Lake recovers from Helene’s devastation

CLAYTOR LAKE, Va. – When Tropical Storm Helene hit the area, places like Claytor Lake were overwhelmed by the sheer amount of debris that swept through.

“We have seen debris flows of similar size before, but the types of debris made this one different,” said Brody Havens, the manager of Claytor Lake State Park.

To get an update on the situation at the lake, I met with Havens.

He told me the cleanup of the lake was completed back in December.

“The numbers I remember hearing were around 30,000 cubic yards of debris removed from the lake,” said Havens. “That would be about 14 football fields, a foot high.”

Havens added the lake is now almost back to normal, and crews are packing up and leaving.

“The only things left were the woody debris,” he said. “Probably by the end of next week, we’ll see most of their equipment gone.”

He also mentioned when it warms up they plan to carry out some restoration efforts around the park and the public boat ramp.

I then visited Mountain 2 Island, a business located off Claytor Lake, to discuss the upcoming season.

Service manager Greg Osborne said he was surprised at how quickly the cleanup was completed.

“I’ve been here since 2006 and never seen anything like that,” said Osborne. “It happened in a quicker process than I imagined, given how bad it was originally.”

Osborne said while it may be cold now, knowing the lake is back to normal is exciting for everyone.

“Obviously, we’ve got some ice to deal with right now, but the cleanliness of the lake is exciting and will definitely help our business,” Osborne said.

Both Havens and Osborne said they are eager to see people back out on the water.

“We’ve been waiting on this day for quite some time, but I’m glad to see we are at that point,” Havens said.


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About the Author
Thomas Mundy headshot

Thomas grew up right here in Roanoke and is a graduate of Salem High School and Virginia Tech.