the public side, especially near the discharge point, where it can be too hot for swimming. The private side has an extended water sports season. Some water circulates back out of the private side into the public side through underground channels; consequently, the public side is warmer in the southern area near the dam. In the winter, some fish migrate to these warmer waters. Preliminary steps to add a third reactor have led to protests by environmentalists and property owners, who fear a subsequent increase in the water temperature and a decrease in the water level, particularly on the private side. According to Dominion, the water discharged from the plant is usually about warmer than the intake water. North Anna Dam The dam creating the lake, North Anna Dam, is a and earthen embankment dam. It is wide at its crest and sits at an elevation of above sea level. The dam's spillway is located in the center of its body and is wide, containing three main and radial gates. Two smaller wide and tall gates on the outer edges of the spillway section maintain normal discharges. Normal elevation for the reservoir is . The dam's hydroelectric power plant is located on the west side of the spillway and is supplied with water via a penstock. The plant consists of two small open runner turbine-generators, the larger with a 775 kW capacity and the smaller rated at 225 kW for a combined installed capacity of 1 megawatt. Use and recreation Events Lake Anna is the site of several major annual events. The Kinetic Race weekend takes place every May; this is a half-distance race, followed by a sprint-distance race. The Giant Acorn Triathlon weekend occurs every fall and features an international/Olympic-distance triathlon, followed by a sprint-distance triathlon the following day. See also Gold mining in Virginia Bumpass, Virginia Jerdone Castle References Bodies of water of Louisa County, Virginia Bodies of water of Orange County, Virginia Bodies of water of Spotsylvania County, Virginia Protected areas of Louisa County, Virginia Protected areas of Orange County, Virginia Protected areas of Spotsylvania County, Virginia Anna Dominion Energy Cooling ponds