Rising Waters on Lake Hartwell Cause Flooding on Old Highway 29

Steadily rising lake levels on Lake Hartwell are now affecting parts of Hart County.

Tuesday afternoon, the Hart County Road Department announced it had closed part of Old Highway 29 near LongPoint Park.

County Administrator Jon Caime said that part of Old Highway 29 routinely floods when there’s heavy rainfall.

“With all of the heavy rains we’ve had, the lake level is very high and parts of Old 29 have flooded,” Caime said. “There’s a section of Old 29 at the end where it floods when the lake level gets too high. In fact, the park at the end (of the road) sometimes floods also.”

Caime said LongPoint Park is also under water and has been closed.

Hart EMC has cut power to the area as a safety measure.

According to Caime, however, none of the residents living near the flooded area have had to be evacuated nor have they lost power.

Caime said there is a detour route for those residents to use to get in and out of their homes.

“There’s an easy detour. Brown Circle comes around and folks that live on Old 29 that do need to get out, can still do that. It’s my understanding that everyone will be able to get in and out just fine.”

Caime said that part of Old 29 and LongPoint Park will remain closed until the lake level goes back down.

As of Wednesday morning, Hartwell’s level stood at 664.77 ft msl, almost five feet above full summer pool, but just inches shy of the Corps’ mandated level of 665 ft msl requiring opening the spillways.