Duke officials: Lake Wylie water level ‘stabilizing’ after days of rain

Duke Energy crews have been lowering the water level at the Lake Wylie dam in the aftermath of significant rainfall, officials said Saturday.

The lowering of the water level at the dam was done earlier this week and Friday evening the gates at Lake Wylie were closed, said Jennifer Jabon, a spokeswoman for Duke Energy.

“The lake levels are stabilizing,” she said. “We do continue to have some in-flows. We are still experiencing significant high run-off.”

The lake level at Lake Wylie was at 98.6 Saturday, down from 99 feet on Friday, 99.4 feet on Thursday and 99.8 feet on Wednesday, according to the Duke Energy website, which lists the lake’s maximum level as 100 feet and the target level as 97 feet.

Since Dec. 21, Rock Hill has received 7.39 inches of rainfall, according to the National Weather Service. Numbers for Lake Wylie were not available, but National Weather Service measurements indicate a total of 8.78 inches of rainfall at the Rock Hill airport and 8.70 inches for the month at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.

A measuring site just south of York indicates a rainfall total of 9.73 inches for December, according to Doug Outlaw, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Greenville. Most of that came during the second half of the month.

“The first half of the month we were behind in rainfall for the month,” Outlaw said, “and then all of a sudden it started pouring.”

Jabon said Lake Wateree was at 102.3 feet and spilling on Saturday, and will continue to spill for several more days. That continues to be the main point of concern for Duke Energy officials.

“Fortunately, with the rains having stopped, things are stabilizing, so the risk is lower,” she said. “Our message is always, ‘Be aware and stay alert.’”

People living near rivers and waterways are encouraged to go to www.duke-energy.com/lakes to stay up to date on lake levels, warnings and advisories.

Lake Wylie is part of a chain of 11 lakes in the Catawba River system. Jabon said adjustments to any one lake must be made looking at the entire system. This has been accomplished by operating the turbines at hydro-stations and opening gates “where we can,” she said.

“We’ve had so much rain,” she said. “We have been working to move the water through while also trying to keep all those 11 lakes from spilling.”

A team of Duke Energy engineers, hydrologists and meteorologists monitors water levels year-round and decides what action needs to be taken to adjust those levels, Jabon said. Sometimes, they may act in advance of a major rain event to “create more storage space” in one lake.

Outlaw said most of the area can expect fair weather heading into the work week.

“We’re going to get a break for a while, and with much cooler temperatures than what we had in December,” he said, adding that the greatest chance for rain will come late Thursday. “It doesn’t look like a huge event, but certainly it’s going to moisten up the ground from what little bit of drying is taking place during the first week of January.”

This story was originally published January 2, 2016 at 6:34 PM with the headline "Duke officials: Lake Wylie water level ‘stabilizing’ after days of rain."