Hartwell Lake Levels Dropping Faster Than First Expected

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia

Extremely hot weather coupled with a lack of rainfall is having its effect on the levels of Lake Hartwell.

As of Thursday, Army Corps of Engineers spokesman Russell Wicke said the lake level had dropped to 657.42 feet above mean sea level.

That’s about three feet below full pool.

Earlier, the Corps had predicted lake levels to remain fairly steady through the summer months.

However, Wicke said they are now expecting to hit Drought Trigger Level One in the next couple of weeks.

“Our projections have been assuming a return to inflows of 80% of normal,” Wicke said. “But now they’ve been going the opposite direction. We started at about 60% of normal as an average in April and now it’s down to roughly 29% of normal (for Lake Hartwell) and for Thurmond it’s less than 10% of normal. If things continue the way they’re going, we’re going to hit the first drought trigger in a couple of weeks or less. We need rain right now pretty badly in order to stop the lakes from a downward trajectory.”

Wicke said it is normal for the lake levels to drop this low by September, which is when the Corps typically declares the Drought Trigger Level One status.

However, he said levels are dropping faster than expected this year.

While low inflows from the lake’s tributaries and a lack of rainfall are main contributors to a dropping lake level, Wicke says there is another reason.

He said that other reason has to do with the extremely hot temperatures the area has experienced over the past month.

“It’s been an exceptionally hot summer so that means evaporation is up,” Wicke explained. “And evaporation accounts for a large majority in the outflow of the lake. In the summer between Hartwell, Thurmond and Russell, evaporation can account for up to around 1,200 cubic feet per second water loss. That’s millions of gallons of water loss a day.”

Meanwhile, Wicke said boaters and others on the lake for recreation need to take extra precautions to protect against dropping lake levels.

“We always want to emphasize how important water safety is. Wear your lifejacket even if you’re a good swimmer,” Wicke said.

If you don’t have enough life jackets for everyone on your boat, the Corps of Engineers and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources offer free life jackets to borrow for the day.

They are located on a kiosk at the Tugaloo Mega Ramp in Tugaloo State Park.