More boat ramps close on Lake Wylie; Mecklenburg drought status upgraded

More boat ramps are closed Aug. 5 on Lake Wylie as several North Carolina counties were upgraded to severe drought status.

Duke Energy spokeswoman Jennifer Jabon said two of four ramps at Buster Boyd Access Area, the busiest ramps on the lake, was closing Wednesday.

“As of the morning, we determined it was necessary to close two of the four boat ramps due to declining lake levels,” Jabon said. “The closure is to ensure the safety of visitors and to protect boat owners’ property.”

All four ramps at Allison Creek Access Area were closed Monday.

“These two sites are the only closures for Duke Energy-managed boat ramps,” she said.

Ramps at Copperhead Island in Mecklenburg County and Ebenezer Park near Rock Hill in York County are managed by those counties, while the rest fall under Duke management. Copperhead Island ramps are listed as closed at Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation Department website.

Boater Kevin Weisner of Charlotte said he was surprised to find Copperhead Island ramps closed as he was using one of the Buster Boyd ramps.

“We’re going to head to the south island near Tega Cay for water skiing and wakeboarding,” he said. “These ramps are pretty long and shallow, but we had to get in deeper than normal.”

Ken Sternberg of Charlotte and co-owner of Pro Outboard said closing ramps impacts his business.

“Any time public access is closed, we have no business because we can’t service them,” he said today while testing a boat at Buster Boyd Access Area. “We have to rush and try to finish as many remaining boats.”

Without lake access, he said, “we can’t do it. We see a drop in business for sure.”

Ebenezer Park ramps remain open. However, York County announced July 29 the county park’s swimming spot was closed to the public for the rest of the summer because of low lake levels. Ebenezer Park is the only public access point for swimmers on Lake Wylie outside of Tega Cay, which requires a parking permit.

Lake Wylie sits more than 5 feet below full pond level today, a half a foot lower than Monday. Under normal conditions, 3 feet below is the target and 6 feet below is the minimum level before the shallowest water intakes or other environmental factors are threatened. Lake Wylie has been below the target level since July 3, and is less than 1 foot above the minimum level.

“It was all right today, but if it gets any lower, you’re not going to be able to do it,” said Bob Pike of Spartanburg, while pulling out his boat Monday afternoon at Allison Creek. “It’s lower than it was.”

Pike said he brings his grandsons fishing and was on Lake Wylie about two weeks ago. He said he didn’t have trouble navigating the water and the fishing remains good.

“We caught 22 catfish,” said Pike, who fished catch-and-release with his youngest grandson Ryan Cheseboro, 16. He likes Lake Wylie, he said, “because we have a couple lakes down there, but we’re not gonna catch the catfish we catch up here.”

Last week, two of the four boat ramps at Allison Creek were closed.

Boaters are asked to use caution at all open ramps, docks or marinas on the water.

“Additional hazards can be present just below the water’s surface due to the lower lake levels,” John Crutchfield, public safety and recreation director, said last week.

Boat ramps last closed during the record 2007 drought for several months as conditioned worsened. Nivens Creek ramp near Fort Mill was the only ramp still open by that fall.

During a 2002 drought, all ramps closed.

Duke asks residents along the Catawba River to limit irrigation use.

Drought status

North Carolina Drought Management Council updated its list Aug. 4, adding six counties to Stage 2 Severe Drought, including Mecklenburg and Gaston counties. Residents are asked to conserve water. Other measuers include implementing water shortage response plans, eliminating nonessential uses of water, and increasing public awareness and educational outreach programs emphasizing the need to conserve water.

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. Visit ncdrought.org/ for more information.

The S.C. 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.

The Catawba-Wateree Drought Management Advisory Group announced July 20 continued dry weather conditions and above-average temperatures have placed the Catawba-Wateree River Basin in Stage 1 of the Low Inflow Protocol.

View lake levels at duke-energy.com/lakes.

This story was originally published August 3, 2015 at 1:43 PM with the headline "More boat ramps close on Lake Wylie; Mecklenburg drought status upgraded."