Catawba river lovers bring traffic woes to Tega Cay area. Things you should know.
Traffic at the Lake Wylie dam was so dense during the Fourth of July weekend that a two-lane road turned into an illegal makeshift parking lot, and car windows were smashed.
Police had more than two dozen cars towed over the weekend, said Tega Cay Police Chief Steve Parker.
“They took a two-lane road and made it a one-lane road,” said Parker.
On many recent Saturdays and Sundays, paddlers have dotted the vast expanse of the Catawba River, many on a path from the dam to Rock Hill’s Riverwalk Park or River Park.
“The dam has been getting busier every year, for about four years” Parker said. “We have found that everyone is using the waterways as a form of recreation.”
Parker said the uptick in recreation on the river this year is likely due to the closure of Carowinds and other recreation spots, which have closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Parker said the police department did not count the number of cars at the dam over the weekend, but said “it was in the hundreds.”
Visitors to the dam can legally park their cars along New Gray Rock Road, as long as the car does not impede traffic, said Tega Cay City Manager Charlie Funderburk.
Traffic over the weekend snaked all the way to nearby Dam Road and at least four police officers had to patrol the area, Parker said.
“We had an astronomical amount of complaints,” he said. “It was almost uncontrollable.”
The Tega Cay Fire Department received an emergency call and had a hard time getting a truck to the scene, Parker said.
“That showed how important it is to leave the road clear,” he said.
Funderburk said police have documented 500-600 cars during recent weekends.
Several of the vehicles were vandalized Saturday on New Gray Rock Road, according to a York County Sheriff’s Office police report.
William G. Greene, Jr., 69, was arrested and charged with five counts of vandalism/damage to property. Police said he smashed out five car windows with a baseball bat, according to the report.
More parking spaces
The traffic problem has forced Duke Energy to create more parking areas.
Duke, which manages the dam, is clearing growth along the right-of-way to make new parking spaces, said Kim Crawford, a Duke spokesperson.
“People are just wanting to get outdoors,” Crawford said.
Next year Duke plans to add 100 additional parking spots at the access.
“We’re definitely aware of the traffic,” Crawford said.
Eighteen-year-old Trevor Redding thought he and a group of friends were likely to be the only people putting in tubes near the Lake Wylie dam on a recent weekend.
“There’s cars going all the way down the road and it’s crazy,” he said.
He stood with his friends and a cluster of tubes, waiting in a long line to access the ramp to the river.
A few floaters up from him, Chase Lindler echoed the “crazy” sentiment.
“I wasn’t expecting so many people to be here,” he said.
Another safety concern is the spread of COVID-19, because so many groups of people are on the river, Funderburk said.
Paddler Devon Bradford said while the vast amount of people at the dam is “shocking,” paddling along the river is a good activity to do during COVID because you are outside and can stay away from people.
Lindler said while it’s nice to get outdoors during COVID-19, “having to make your way through crowds isn’t too pleasant right now.”
Amy White from Golden, Colo., said her husband lost his job because of COVID-19, so she is visiting family in York County for an extended time.
“We just decided to come out and cool off on a hot day,” White said. “You can still social distance out here.”
What to know
Five tips for paddling down the Catawba River:
- Bring a life jacket and a whistle. The water rapids may be faster on the weekends, depending on how much water Duke Energy releases into the river.
- Leave the alcohol at home. Open containers are prohibited on city land, such as Riverwalk, where many people take their tubes and kayaks out of the river. When people drink on the river, the heat can compound the effects and impair judgment.
- Check Duke Energy’s water levels. Scheduled flow releases can be different on the weekends based on natural conditions and hydro project operation. Visit https://lakes.duke-energy.com/index.html#/lakes to view the water levels.
- Leave a car at the spot where you will get out of the river. Don’t be stuck without a ride back to the dam. Take a car to the park where you will get out of the water, so you will have a ride home.
- Bring a cooler and sunscreen. Many paddlers will set up a cooler inside a tube or on their kayaks. Bring plenty of sunscreen since the trip can take up to four hours to Rivewalk.
- Don’t impede traffic if you park along New Gray Rock Road.
