Drought intensifies in S.C.

Lake Wylie’s water level is running low and boaters need to be aware.

Joe Stowe, executive director of the Lake Wylie Marine Commission, said he received several calls in the past week from residents and boaters concerned about what they’re finding in the water.

“The water is dropping,” Stowe said. “We’ve got things that have always been there, but with the water down, people are seeing them. People need to be careful.”

Boating in shallow water is one concern, as even familiar routes may present new challenges with exposed limbs or rocks. Conserving water is another.

The South Carolina Drought Response Committee met July 16, when members upgraded the drought status of every county in the state. York is one of 28 counties in the second, or moderate stage of drought. Remaining counties are in first level, or incipient drought.

During this stage, residents are asked to voluntarily conserve water, including limiting watering to no more than two days a week and reduce washing sidewalks or parking lots.

“Due to below normal rainfall over the past several months, streamflow levels have dropped considerably and are well below normal for this time of year,” state hydrologist Scott Harder said. “These low streamflows have caused small but steady declines in most of the state’s major reservoirs and most of the reservoirs are currently below their target levels.”

North Carolina sees similar conditions. Both Mecklenburg and Gaston counties are in moderate drought, the second of five intensity levels. North Carolina Drought Management Council updated its list July 16, based on conditions two days prior. Residents are asked to “minimize nonessential uses of water,” but nothing is mandatory. Water providers have a list of planning tasks like projecting water need for 90 days and checking for water efficiency issues.

On July 17, Lake Wylie sat 1 foot below its target level, which is 3 feet below full pond or the point of flooding. Three feet below the target is the point where water intakes or other critical infrastructure pieces are exposed.

The Catawba-Wateree Drought Management Advisory Group still lists the Catawba basin in Stage 0 drought, with only voluntary water and energy conservation measures requested. The latest update came July 1.

The lake level held steady at or above target level from April through June, dipping steadily since. At one point in April, the lake was half a foot from its full pond level.

Duke Energy, the company that manages reservoirs along the Catawba River, has a low inflow protocol system that unifies a drought response for local municipalities. Municipalities still vote individually on what conservation message they require, but they also participate in the shared protocol process.

George Galleher, principal engineer with Duke, said his company is on board with the recent drought upgrade in South Carolina.

“Duke Energy strongly supports the drought committee’s moving the drought classification to moderate based on the very low stream flows, dry soil moisture and widespread low rainfall amounts over the last 30 days,” he said. “Duke Energy is concerned with lake levels and is carefully managing hydroelectric operations under these conditions.”

This story was originally published July 17, 2015 at 2:07 PM with the headline "Drought intensifies in S.C.."