Water levels on lakes Marion and Moultrie are declining as the hot, dry weather continues. Lake Marion is receiving inflows of 1,200 to 1,500 cubic feet per second, instead of the typical summer average of 9,906 cfs.

Lake Marion's level is currently about 3 feet 9 inches below what Santee Cooper, the state-owned utility that manages the lakes, considers the ideal lake level for this time of year.

Bill McCall, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Santee Cooper, released the following statement regarding the lake levels.

Like many of my neighbors along the shores of lakes Marion and Moultrie, I am observing what seems to be a daily drop in the level of our local lakes. I too am concerned about the impact that the summer's dry weather has had, and I want to assure everyone who frequents Lake Marion or Lake Moultrie that Santee Cooper is doing everything possible to conserve these resources.

South Carolina is officially in a drought, which affects lake levels in several ways. First, dry conditions upstate are reducing the natural river flows into the lake. Second, normal evaporation gains speed in the heat of summer. And third, our utility neighbors upstream do not have water to release to us because they are in the same situation, which further reduces the flow into the lakes. ...

Another complication: Santee Cooper is federally required to make certain lake discharges, and we must fulfill those obligations. Our contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requires a minimum discharge of water from the Jefferies Hydroelectric Station on Lake Moultrie into the Tailrace Canal, where the resulting flow of freshwater k.jpg the ocean's salinity downstream. Santee Cooper is also obligated to discharge water from our Spillway unit into the Santee River. These discharges are minimal in normal operations, but they currently exceed the lake inflows, which worsens the situation.

We can't control Mother Nature. On the positive side, though, the utility has sharply curtailed how much water we discharge. We are not running the three hydroelectric units at St. Stephen, and we have not used them since the middle of June. We even purchased power on the open market last month during peak-demand days in order to keep the St. Stephen units idle. The only discharges we are making are those we are contractually required to. Water needs for the Santee Cooper Regional Water System are minimal and do not impact the level of Lake Moultrie. And we are not undertaking any maintenance projects that would further draw down the lake levels.

Lake Moultrie has not been this low since 2002. The good news is that once rainfall resumed to normal amounts and the inflows increased that year, the lake levels rose quickly. Let's hope for rain, especially in the watershed.

You must be logged in to comment.