Water Levels Slowing Coming Down on Hartwell Lake
Docks in Gumlog Cove on Lake Hartwell swamped by recent heavy rainfall and rising lake level.
It may look like the Hartwell Dam spillways have been opened but that’s not the case.
The Corps of Engineers said Monday water levels on Lake Hartwell as well as Russell and Thurmond Lakes downstream are going down now that the rain has subsided and all spillways at all three lakes are closed.
On Sunday, it appeared water was overflowing the Hartwell Dam, but Corps spokesman Billy Birdwell said that was not the case.
“When the wind shifted, we did have some water spill over the top of the gates, but only small amounts caused by the wind and the waves,” Birdwell said. “There was no danger to the structure of the dam whatsoever.”
The Corps also closed the spillways at Thurmond Lake downstream Monday morning.
Now, Birdwell said, excess water will moved out the lake via power generation.
“There are no plans right now to open the spillways,” Birdwell said. “We have managed the water carefully and we’re still managing it through the turbines, through generating electricity. Without significant rainfall in the forecast, we’re probably going to be able to get the water levels down some.”
As of Monday, Hartwell’s lake level stood at 664.47 ft mean sea level – only slightly lower than last week and just below the tipping point of 665 ft msl, which would mandate the opening of the spillways.
But with the El Nino weather pattern still with us, Birdwell said the Corps is expecting more heavy rainfall in the coming weeks and days and they are preparing for it.
“Because of the large El Nino that’s going on out in the Pacific, we are still expecting more rain this season so we’re getting prepared for that. And we will be ready to manage that water as well,” he said.
Now to check on water levels on Hartwell Lake you can go to Corps of Engineers’ Hartwell Lake Web site at: http://water.sas.usace.army.mil/gmap/.