High water damages dozens of homes on Lake Gaston

The lake straddling the North Carolina-Virginia border has gotten significant rainfall in recent weeks, pushing water levels high enough to damage docks and bulkheads at several homes. 

Jack Houston, who has owned a home on Lake Gaston for 18 years, says the water level reached the top step of his docks and also washed away some of the stones that protect his property from the water. 

"It's been raining every day and the lake has been up above is normal capacity," Houston said. "We've got the irrigation pipes and everything else over there exposed."

One of Houston's neighbors has seen more severe damage. The homeowner told WRAL News the damage to the bulkhead at his home could cost as much as $12,000 to fix. 

Doug Hughes, with the Lake Gaston Association, has heard from as many as 40 homeowners about damage to docks or bulkheads from high water levels. 

"They're looking for answers," Hughes said. "We've not had sustained water levels this high since Hurricane Floyd."

Dominion Power, the company that controls the level of the lake, could provide some answers. A company spokesman said Dominion is doing its best to manage the level, but acknowledged there is a lot of water in the system. 

Despite that, an agreement allows Dominion to release water from Kerr Lake into Lake Gaston. The spokesman told WRAL News the company has operated within the parameters of its federal license in trying to control the water level. 

"They want to have some assurance that this is not going to be a continuing event," Hughes said.