Leesville Lake newsletter – July 2026

From the President

Welcome to summer! We are off to a hot start, which means it’s a great time to get out on the lake and enjoy the water! It is no secret we have been in a drought in Southern Virginia for some time. The impacts have been both positive and negative. With the lack of rains, we have not had any high flow events on the Pigg River, which means the amount of debris on the lake has been minimal. The negative of course is the impact on both Leesville Lake and Smith Mountain lake levels. In the last 30 days, Leesville Lake has averaged 602.44 msl (full pond is 613 msl) and Smith Mountain Lake has averaged 790.35 msl (full pond is 795 msl). With the lower lake levels you do need to be cautious in operating your boat around the lake. Some of the boat ramps around the lake may not go deep enough to support trailers. Check the ramps before putting your boat in or taking it out. Also be aware that portions of the lake may not be passible due to sandbars or obstructions on the lake bottom that may now be within reach of your propeller or lower unit. 

Your Leesville Lake Association Volunteer Board continues to work hard for you and as the summer closes, we will be saying thank you and farewell to our long time Debris Chair, Pam McMillan. Pam has been a strong advocate for debris control on the lake and we appreciate her efforts over the years. We will need a replacement for her as Board Member and Debris Chair. With the influx of new neighbors, I encourage you to invite them to join the Leesville Lake Association and some of you, to join us as board members. 

For those that haven’t signed up for the Annual Picnic, please do so quickly. We need an accurate count to ensure we have enough delicious food for all to enjoy. As a reminder, the Leesville Lake Annual Picnic will be Saturday, July 11 at the Leesville Lake Marina. Lunch starts at 12:00.



Roy Kelley

Beautification Day

A huge thank you to all the boaters, front loader operators, chainsaw operators, wood haulers and financial supporters who contributed to the 2025 Leesville Lake Beautification Day. This year’s lake cleanup day was another big success. That is, the lake looks great! There was, however, a limited amount of debris on the lake due to the drought we have had. As mentioned in the President’s write up, we have not had a high flow event this year, so the Pigg River has not flowed a high volume of debris into the lake. Also with the water levels down, even debris from our own shores has been limited. Our total debris collected this year was 40.54 tons. That is off our record of 55 tons the previous two years. 

We are also thankful to APCo and the barge operators who helped us remove debris from several of our lake coves on Beautification Day. For those that participated, but I was not able to get you your T-shirt, please visit our T-shirt booth at the picnic and pick yours up. If you couldn’t participate in our Beautification Day but want a T-shirt for you and your family members, stop by the booth and buy what you like. We still have some carryover from previous years at highly discounted prices.

Roy Kelley

TREASURER’S REPORT 



I have finished the proposed budget for FY2026-27 for everyone to review during the picnic. I will have a packet available for members to pick up during sign-in. Our member donations have dropped resulting in a lower expected income, and we are increasing expenses for promotional outreach that will be pulling funds from previous years gains. In FY25-26, we budgeted about $74K in income and $70K in expenses. In the upcoming FY26-27 we are planning on about $73K in income and $76K in expenses. While our overall amount of member donations dropped this past year, our postcard campaign resulted in increased membership, and the number of families making donations is on the increase. The packet will have more details, and the Committee Chairs will be available to answer questions prior to the vote.

As we enter the last quarter of our fiscal year, the Association is in great health financially. There is no need to raise our membership fee at this time, so the membership fee remains at $25.00 a year. In the first week of July, I plan to start emailing invoices out to current members to open up the renewal season. In the past, we have handed out invoices at the picnic; but starting this year, we are planning on saving time and money used to print, sort, fold and track all of that. There will be no invoices at the picnic, but you can still pay while you’re there. Several members have already renewed for the coming year and you are all welcome to renew online, through the mail or in person at the picnic. Leanne and I hope to see many of you on and around the lake this summer.

Edwin Hanson

DEBRIS COMMITTEE



Debris Management Committee Report – July 2026

The Debris Management Committee reviewed Appalachian Power’s June debris assessment report and also conducted an independent survey of Leesville Lake. Sherrie Beard surveyed the lower section of the lake from the dam to Mile Marker 7, while I surveyed the upper section from Mile Marker 8 to Mile Marker 15. Our observations were generally consistent with Appalachian Power’s findings.

Due to the continuing severe drought conditions throughout our watershed, there have been no high-flow events this year and very little new debris entering the lake. While we received significant rainfall over the Memorial Day weekend, lake levels did not reach the threshold necessary to transport substantial debris into Leesville Lake. The recent flash rains we had in late June did not make a difference, either.

Appalachian Power reported removing 215 tons of debris from Leesville Lake through May 31 and claimed their crews worked 30 days on the lake during this period.

Both Appalachian Power’s survey and our committee observations found the lower and middle sections of the lake to be in very good condition. The main channel remained largely clear through Mile Marker 10, with only scattered shoreline debris observed. As expected, the upper end of the lake above Mile Marker 11 continues to contain areas of woody debris associated with exposed sandbars and shallow areas resulting from the prolonged low-water conditions.

Overall, Leesville Lake remains in good condition for boating and recreation. However, boaters should continue to use caution during power generation periods when rising water levels can re-float shoreline debris and move it back into navigation channels.

The committee appreciates Appalachian Power’s continued debris removal efforts and will continue monitoring conditions as boating activity increases throughout the summer.

Safe boating!

Warm regards, 

Pam McMillan 



Pam McMillan – Chair

Dave Rives

Sherrie Beard (Rick)

Rob Johnston

Roy Kelly (Teri)

Gary McMillan

Tom Gallagher

WATER QUALITY REPORT



Leesville Lake Water quality is good. Both University of Lynchburg and LLA WQ Committee have been sampling and conditions are good for boating, swimming and fishing. Enjoy summer on Leesville Lake!

Charlie Hamilton, WQ Chair

Nominating Committee/Calendar Subcommittee

Happy Spring LLA Members!

The Nominating Committee is in search of members who may be interested in volunteering on our board. We have a couple of open Committee Chair positions and several committees which need additional members.

Openings include:

Beautification Day Chair

Debris Committee Chair (starts in September)

At-Large Board Members

The board meets monthly on the 2^nd Thursday in Altavista, where we discuss our beautiful lake and what can be done to make it even better! If interested, or for more information, please contact Don Schimming at don_schimming@leesvillelake.org or 540-717-2488. You can also speak with any current board member.

Calendar Subcommittee

Sale!!! The 2026 lake calendars are available for sale for $5 and can be ordered here: https://app.aplos.com/aws/give/LeesvilleLakeAssociation/Calendar Pick one up and enjoy the wonderful pictures submitted by our membership from all around our lake.

Remember, you can upload photos throughout the year so don’t miss sending in those beautiful pictures from around the lake for the 2027 calendar! Photo size should be at least 1MB and can be uploaded at https://leesvillelake.org/calendar-picture-upload/

Don Schimming ,Chair