R. D. Bailey Lake is located on the Guyandotte River

Guyandotte River

The Guyandotte River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 166 mi long, in southwestern West Virginia in the United States. It was named after the French term for the Wendat Native Americans...

 in Wyoming

Wyoming County, West Virginia

Wyoming County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 23,796. Its county seat is Pineville. Wyoming County was created in 1850 from Logan County and named for the Delaware Indian word meaning "large plains."-Geography:According to the U.S...

 and Mingo

Mingo County, West Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 28,253 people, 11,303 households, and 8,217 families residing in the county. The population density was 67 people per square mile . There were 12,898 housing units at an average density of 30 per square mile...

 Counties in West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

, 3.3 miles (5.3 km) east of Justice

Justice, West Virginia

Justice is an unincorporated census-designated place in Mingo County, West Virginia, United States. Justice is located on U.S. Route 52 southeast of Gilbert. Justice has a post office with ZIP code 24851. As of the 2010 census, its population was 412....

. Originally referred to as Justice Reservoir, the lake

Lake

A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

 was named by Congressional action, Public Law 90-46, on July 4, 1967 for the late Robert D. Bailey, Sr.

Robert D. Bailey, Sr.

Robert D. Bailey, Sr. , better known as R.D. Bailey or "Judge Bailey," was a Democratic politician in West Virginia....

, a prominent jurist

Jurist

A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...

, diarist, and citizen of Pineville

Pineville, West Virginia

Pineville is a town in Wyoming County, West Virginia, along the Guyandotte River. The population was 715 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Wyoming County.-History:Pineville was settled by William Short in 1853....

. R. D. Bailey lake was dedicated in August 1980.

The R. D. Bailey Dam is 310 feet (94.5 m) high with a top length of 1370 feet (417.6 m). A minimum pool with a surface area of 440 acres (1.8 km²) is maintained in the winter months. A seasonal pool for recreation and water quality control with a surface area of 630 acres (2.5 km²) is maintained during the summer. The lake's remaining storage capacity is for flood control.