The dam created Smith Mountain Lake as its reservoir, where recreation and real estate have become popular.

[2][3] In the late 1920s, Appalachian Power began purchasing land and planning for a hydroelectricity dam within the Smith Mountain Gorge that is split by the Roanoke River.

The first commercial saturation dives were performed by Westinghouse to replace faulty trash racks at 200 feet (61 m) on the dam in 1965.

[1][2] Smith Mountain Dam houses five hydroelectric generators with a combined installed capacity of 560 MW.

[2] In December 2009, The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted Appalachian Power a new license to operate the hydro-electricity plant.