[1] The project is located on the James River, a navigable waterway of the United States, in Bedford and Amherst Counties, Virginia.

The dam impounds a 138-acre reservoir with a surface elevation of 656 feet mean sea level (msl) at normal operating pool.

A railroad bridge constructed by the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, now used by successor CSX, crosses the upstream impoundment.

Through use of a level probe equipped with an alarm and a video camera, Cushaw Hydro LLC ensures that a continuous veil of flow occurs over the 1,500-foot-long spillway.

When river flow reaches 7,000 cfs, the units are taken off line and all inflow passes over the spillway because the head is insufficient to generate energy due to the increased tailrace elevation.