Newsletter January 2026 – Leesville Lake Association

Email from Leesville Lake Association

Leesville Lake Association Newsletter

Table of Contents

Presidents Letter

Beautification Day Report

Treasurer’s Report

Graphing Sonar Fundraiser

Membership Report

Safety and Education

Debris Committee

Water Quality Report

Nominating and Calendar Committee

Help Wanted

From the President

Roy Kelley

Winter is here and unlike last year we’ve already seen two significant snows. That said, the impact on the lake from this fall and early winter weather has been nearly insignificant. We have been able to enjoy relatively clear conditions on and around our lake as a result.

Your volunteer board continues to be active in keeping our lake safe and beautiful for you and your family. Following our fall membership meeting where we heard from Chief Daniels of the Hurt Fire Department, we decided to make a contribution to help the fire department purchase a graphing sonar system for their rescue boat. They are the fire department that responds to emergencies on our lake and we want them to be properly equipped if called upon.

Please join us 10:30 on Saturday January 10, 2026 at the Altavista Train Station for our January General Membership Meeting. As is the tradition, this meeting will be followed by a chili lunch provided by your board to include several different types of chili. Drinks and chips will also be provided. We ask that you bring a dessert and a guest. We will provide updates on the many activities the LLA Board is involved with and have a guest speaker to do a presentation on the future of business in the Altavista area. There will be door prizes and opportunities to buy calendars and T-shirts. We look forward to seeing you there.

Roy Kelley

Beautification Day

Roy Kelley

The new year is upon us, and it is time to start preparing for our June 13^th, 2026 Beautification Day. Many thanks to all who participated and contributed to our 2025 Leesville Lake Beautification Day. It was a VERY successful event because of you, our volunteers. Please mark your calendars (if you have a LLA Calendar it’s already on there) and begin recruiting your team of family members and friends to participate in this incredibly impactful event.

Once again, we’ll need volunteers in their boats, and ashore with their front loaders and chainsaws to help us remove debris from the lake. As a reminder, we pulled over 55 tons of debris from the lake on our 2025 Beautification Day. We need your support again in 2026.

Treasurer’s Report

Edwin Hanson

I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays! As we welcome the new year our finances remain strong. Our taxes have been filed for this year and we continue to remain a 501(c)3 Association. The finance committee will be overseeing an internal audit in the coming months to make sure all of my records reconcile. For any who itemize their deductions, donations to LLA, including annual dues, are tax deductible. If you need a letter itemizing your donations, please drop me a request at treasurer@leesvillelake.org . Already hoping for an early spring!

Edwin Hanson

Graphing Sonar Fundraiser

Edwin Hanson

As Roy mentioned in his note, LLA has made a donation to the Hurt Volunteer Fire Department (HVFD) for a graphing sonar system. We have also set up a fundraising page on our website to make it easy for members to also donate to this device.

When emergency calls are placed for incidents on Leesville Lake, a dispatch notice goes out to several area Fire Departments. The Hurt Volunteer Fire Department is the closest to the public boat launch near the dam, so they are generally the first to respond. Even if the call comes in from Bedford or Campbell County portions of the lake. The link on our website has more details about the system and a donation form.

Edwin Hanson

Membership Report

Cynthia Coleman

We don’t currently have anything new to report, but have you been able to enjoy the beautiful sunrises and sunsets we’ve been having?

Safety and Education Report

Jeff Markiewicz

With the start of Winter, the water temperatures on the lake are dropping below 50 degrees. When air temperature and water temperature do not add up to 100 then the risk of hypothermia goes up. Some steps to mitigate this risk if you are heading out on the water include: 1) Wear a properly fitted life jacket. The amount of time in the water before you are incapacitated may be 15 minutes or less. Also be aware that inflatable life vests may not provide as much flotation in cold water so non-inflatable life jackets are recommended. 2) Dress in layers with the layer closest to your skin made of synthetic material as it will help to keep cold water away from your skin. Avoid wearing cotton close to your skin as it allows cold water closer to your skin. 3) Bring extra clothes in a dry bag on your boat in case someone in your party gets wet. 4) Energy Bars and a thermos with a warm beverage are also great to have on hand. Even if you are only heading down to the dock consider wearing a life jacket as a person slipping into the water can be harder to recover from in the winter months. Continued vigilance while on the water is always advised as debris may still be present, especially after rainfall and after water level increases.

The Water Safety Committee will be performing Vessel Safety Checks starting in May. These checks are independent of Law Enforcement, conducted by local US Power Squadron vessel safety examiners. Not passing a Vessel Safety Check is not reported to DWR or any other law enforcement agency. If you would still like your boat checked, reach out to the Safety committee by email at safety@leesvillelake.org to arrange a safety check.

Although Leesville is a safe lake to boat and swim on, we did have a young man drown in July near the Leesville Dam. One of the concerns raised after this incident was that there were not any “No Swimming” signs at the fishing pier. To address this AEP is in the process of installing new signs (see below) at the Boat Ramps at the dam and at Myers Creek.

Hoping you all get a chance to enjoy some time on the waters of Leesville Lake this winter if not in the spring when warmer weather returns and I Hope to see you on the water!

Jeff Markiewicz, Water Safety and Education Chair

Debris Committee

Pam McMillan

Happy New Year to our Leesville Lake Association Members!

This time of year is typically quiet on the debris management front. There have been no high-water events to report, and with the surveyed season concluding in October, there are no monthly survey results for this quarter. Based on recent observations, AEP crews have been working sporadically, primarily in the lower miles of the lake. Late in the fall, they did make efforts in the mid-lake area and successfully removed a measurable amount of debris, helping to reduce the overall load in that section.

Overall, the lake appears to be in relatively good condition for this season; however, it’s important to note that many tons of debris remain scattered throughout the lake and continue to require monitoring and management.

I would also like to share an important announcement. After nearly ten years of service on the Debris Committee, Gary and I plan to retire from our volunteer roles following the close of the 2026 surveyed season next October. As a result, the committee will be seeking new members, including someone willing to step into the role of Committee Chair.

If you value the progress we’ve made and want to see continued improvement in debris management on Leesville Lake, ongoing oversight will be essential. Monitoring AEP’s activities and ensuring continued compliance with debris management requirements plays a critical role in protecting the lake’s usability, safety, and long-term health.

I plan to attend the January Membership Meeting, and I encourage anyone interested in joining the committee—or learning more about the Chair position—to please come speak with me.

The Debris Committee is one of the most vital components of our organization and our community. The work we do directly impacts all stakeholders who enjoy and depend on the lake. We have come a long way together, and it’s important that we don’t lose sight of what has been accomplished.

Thank you for your continued support over the years.

Warm regards,

Pam McMillan

Debris Committee Chair

Water Quality Report

Charlie Hamilton

Happy Holidays!! Leesville Lake Water Quality is good and will continue to support all your recreational needs this winter.

Special thanks to the LLA WQ Committee – Debbie Oliver, Kathleen Giangi, Tony Capuco,

Dave Waterman, and University of Lynchburg Limnologist Dr Tom Shahady for their hard

work in keeping the lake’s water quality up to standard.

We are looking forward to APCo’s upcoming (April/May) submission of a Dissolved Oxygen (DO) Improvement Plan to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality for review and

approval. APCo will develop a comprehensive plan, designed in consultation with VDEQ, the Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) and other state or federal agencies to address depressed DO levels downstream from Smith Mountain Lake Dam.

This plan is in accordance with APCo’s final Permit VWP number 24 1547 signed on July 7, 2025. The plan is to protect instream beneficial uses, to ensure compliance with applicable water quality standards, to prevent impairment of state waters or fish and wildlife resources, and to provide no net loss of wetland acreage and function through compensatory mitigation and success monitoring and reporting.

Have enjoyable lake time and family time as we transition into the Winter!

Charlie Hamilton, WQ Chair

Nominating and Calendar Committees

Don Schimming

Nominating

Happy New Year to all our LLA members!

The Nominating Committee is in search of members who may be interested in volunteering on our board. We have open director positions and a need for those who would be interested in serving on a committee as well.

Board members meet monthly on the 2nd 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 @ don_schimming@leesvillelake.org or 540-717-2488 or speak to any board member.

Calendar

Our 2026 Calendars will also be available at the January General Meeting and can also be ordered here: Donate to Leesville Lake Association

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 Picture Upload – Leesville Lake Association.

WANTED: Fishing and Landscaping Input!

In recent years we’ve had articles about fishing and lakeshore landscaping. These articles have always garnered favorable feedback. Unfortunately, the wonderful folks who helped with this have retired to other places. If you would be interested in helping with these areas, please contact the editor at newsletter@leesvillelake.org. While accuracy is important, professional writing skills are not. Your contribution can be massaged/edited after submission so don’t let your fear of semicolon usage scare you! Your general knowledge will be valued by our members.

Have you seen it? We’re back. The LLA Facebook page is featuring regular posts again. Check it out, follow it, invite your friends to follow. We welcome your contributions (photos, information, alerts, comments, likes, etc.) regarding the lake. Let’s build the lake community page together!