Claytor Lake State Park resumes normal operations after months of Helene cleanup

The job required modular barges, tugboats, and excavators, not to mention time, but the post-Hurricane Helene debris removal at Claytor Lake State Park in Dublin is complete, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) announced this week.

Claytor Lake was one of nine Virginia State Parks DCR closed in 2024 due to severe damage from Hurricane Helene.

“The cleanup of Claytor Lake is a testament to the resilience and dedication of our federal and state agencies, park rangers and community members,” said DCR Director Matt Wells. The department noted that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), FEMA, Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Friends of Claytor Lake, and DCR contributed to completion of the mission to get park cleaned and reopened.

“Initially, it was Pulaski County emergency management which then became Virginia Department of Emergency Management,” Brodrick Havens, park manager at Claytor Lake, said in a USACE update in late October. “They came in and started setting up the removal of hazardous materials. Now, with USACE on site, we’re able to address the larger debris field impacting safe navigation and the overall health of the lake,” he said explaining the collaborative effort.

USACE also credited local groups, including Friends of Claytor Lake, for getting the cleanup effort started. The arrival of USACE’s specialized equipment, such as survey vessels, modular pontoon barges, hydraulic excavators, and a 300-ton crane helped expedite the process, the October update noted.

According to DCR, the massive amounts of debris were sorted into categories: green waste, construction material, general trash, and hazardous materials before it was transported for disposal.

The work is now done. “Working closely with our federal, state and local partners, we successfully removed all floating and submerged debris returning Claytor Lake to its pre-storm conditions, ensuring it remains safe and accessible for the community,” LTC Anthony Funkhouser USACE Norfolk District, acting commander said this week.

Claytor Lake State Park offers water access, 4 miles of lake frontage, including a swim beach, and more than 470 acres of fields and woodland. Now that the response operations center has been demobilized, the Claytor Lake State Park boat ramp and Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources boat ramp located off Bear Drive are open seven days a week.

However, damage caused by large equipment means the park’s boat ramps and parking lots will need to be repaired, and DWR’s parking lot will need regrading, said DCR. That work will require temporary closures on future dates that have yet to be announced.