Lake Wylie Riversweep canceled because of drought

Riversweep 2015 is canceled as drought conditions continue to be monitored in the Carolinas.

Organizers announced this morning they are pulling the plug on the annual cleanup event on Lake Wylie.

“The water is too low, too few boats,” said Neil Brennan with the Lake Wylie Marine Commission. “People can’t get their boats in the water.”

Brennan said organizers had begun telling sponsors and volunteers the Oct. 3 event is canceled but could be postponed. Later this morning, a decision was made to cancel.

“Mother Nature has conspired against us,” Brennan said. “The river level is too low to execute the cleanup safely and efficiently.”

This is the first time the event has ever had to cancel.

“We went 13 years without a cancellation, even in 2007,” said Ellen Goff, a co-organizer of the event. “But the previous droughts weren't this bad at this point in the year.”

Planning an event as large as Riversweep would be difficult. Riversweep planning is a year-long effort for co-organizing groups the Lake Wylie Marine Commission and Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation.

“The problem is even if the lake comes up enough to have it, by then it might be too cold,” Brennan said.

Lake Wylie water levels have been lowering since July due to drought conditions. All public boat ramps, except Nivens Creek Access Area in Fort Mill, are closed. Duke Energy announced last week all four ramps at Buster Boyd Access Area, the main site for Riversweep, were closing. Public swimming at Ebenezer Park closed in late July.

Last year, when about 50 people signed up as boat captains for Riversweep, organizers pressed to get more as the event draws up to 1,000 volunteers each year. With limited access this year, organizers had 18 boats. A week ahead of the event last year, online registrations numbered 700. This year there were 200.

“Because many if not most ramps are closed, boaters are unable to launch their boats,” Brennan said. “Many boats are high and dry on lifts. Many of the docks where the trash is off-loaded are on the bottom.”

Drought grows

The South Carolina Drought Response Committee met Sept. 24 keeping 21 counties, including York, in moderate drought status, while placing 16 under incipient status.

“There was no change to the upstate,” said Hope Mizzell, South Carolina's state climatologist. "It has been very dry for many areas across the Upstate. However, the committee was hesitant today to make any major changes due to the potential for heavy rain in the forecast. The rainfall expected over the next few days has the potential to be the largest and most widespread since June 1."

Mizzell said the group decided to defer and meet again at 10 a.m. Oct. 5 to re-evaluate the drought status statewide.

"The forecast for the next week indicates precipitation for the Yadkin-Pee Dee, Catawba-Wateree and Keowee-Toxaway lakes, but without significant rainfall, levels are expected to continuing declining for the foreseeable future and well into the fall," said George Galleher, principal engineer with Duke Energy.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor website, York County is in D2 Severe Drought since the Sept. 15 update. Mizzell explained the U.S. Drought Monitor is only one of seven indicators the committee looks at.

“We’re looking at stream flow, forest fire threat, ground flow, there’s a lot more we have to take into consideration,” she said.

On Sept. 22, the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council added several counties to the D2 Severe Drought status, which now runs 16-long and includes Gaston County. Mecklenburg County remains on the D1- Moderate Drought list. Residents and businesses are asked to eliminate nonessential uses of water.

The Catawba-Wateree Drought Management Council announced in July the region is in Stage 1 of the drought protocol. Residents are asked to be mindful of their water usage.

According to clemson.edu/extension/hgic/drought.html, the Charlotte area is more than 4 inches below average rainfall.

At press time Friday, Lake Wylie lake levels sat 3 and a half feet below the target level. Duke Energy will continue to monitor lake levels and works as part of the CW-DMAG to address the drought conditions. Lake levels and access area ramp information is available at duke-energy.com/lakes.

This story was originally published September 23, 2015 at 9:24 AM with the headline "Lake Wylie Riversweep canceled because of drought."