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Water from Jocassee released into Keowee
Process lowers upstream lake even more; boat ramps being monitored, Duke says
Published: Thursday, December 6, 2007 - 2:00 am
By Anna Simon
CLEMSON BUREAU
asimon@greenvillenews.com
SENECA -- Duke Energy officials said Wednesday that water now is being released from Lake Jocassee to raise the water level in Lake Keowee.
In October, Lake Keowee was lowered 7 feet below full pond to enable routine maintenance on the water intake structure at Oconee Nuclear Station.
That work has been done and on Wednesday the lake level was raised a foot or two, said Sandra Magee, a Duke Energy spokeswoman at the nuclear station.
That brings the lake to about five feet below full pond, which is about two feet below its usual level for this time of year, Magee said. Duke will try to maintain Keowee at that level until there is significant rain, she said.
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No significant rain is in the forecast, which concerns Duke officials.
"It affects our hydro operation, which we've had to restrict," Magee said.
Filling Keowee will take a few more feet of water from Jocassee, which is already low because of the drought, Magee said.
According to Duke Energy's Web site, Lake Keowee was 5 feet below full pond late Wednesday, while Lake Jocassee was 24 feet below full pond.
All boat ramps on Jocassee still remain open, but they are being monitored by state park officials at Devils Fork State Park as the lake level drops, Magee said. If safety becomes an issue, ramps will be closed.
Duke continues to urge people to conserve water because there has been little rain, groundwater tables are low and there is little flow into Jocassee from mountain streams as the drought continues, McGee said.
Duke recently banned the use of lake irrigation pumps to conserve water.
Two reports of use of lake irrigation pumps have come in since the ban was enacted last month, but neither could be verified because the pumps weren't in use when Duke checked on them, Magee said. There are about 1,500 lake irrigation pumps on Keowee, Magee said.
Duke notified the public in July of the planned lowering for the intake work, so that property owners on the lake could take advantage of the opportunity to perform maintenance on their docks and take boats out if needed due to shallow water.
A draw-down for intake piping work normally isn't performed on a yearly basis, but work was needed on all three units. The company lowered the lake last year to work on Unit 1. It worked on Unit 3 this year and plans to work on Unit 2 in the fall of 2008, Magee said.
Lake area residents and boaters can keep an eye on the levels on Jocassee and Keowee on Duke's Web site at www.duke-energy.com/lakes/levels. There also is a toll-free number that can be called for a recording of current lake information at 1-800-829-LAKE (5253).
Process lowers upstream lake even more; boat ramps being monitored, Duke says
Published: Thursday, December 6, 2007 - 2:00 am
By Anna Simon
CLEMSON BUREAU
asimon@greenvillenews.com
SENECA -- Duke Energy officials said Wednesday that water now is being released from Lake Jocassee to raise the water level in Lake Keowee.
In October, Lake Keowee was lowered 7 feet below full pond to enable routine maintenance on the water intake structure at Oconee Nuclear Station.
That work has been done and on Wednesday the lake level was raised a foot or two, said Sandra Magee, a Duke Energy spokeswoman at the nuclear station.
That brings the lake to about five feet below full pond, which is about two feet below its usual level for this time of year, Magee said. Duke will try to maintain Keowee at that level until there is significant rain, she said.
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No significant rain is in the forecast, which concerns Duke officials.
"It affects our hydro operation, which we've had to restrict," Magee said.
Filling Keowee will take a few more feet of water from Jocassee, which is already low because of the drought, Magee said.
According to Duke Energy's Web site, Lake Keowee was 5 feet below full pond late Wednesday, while Lake Jocassee was 24 feet below full pond.
All boat ramps on Jocassee still remain open, but they are being monitored by state park officials at Devils Fork State Park as the lake level drops, Magee said. If safety becomes an issue, ramps will be closed.
Duke continues to urge people to conserve water because there has been little rain, groundwater tables are low and there is little flow into Jocassee from mountain streams as the drought continues, McGee said.
Duke recently banned the use of lake irrigation pumps to conserve water.
Two reports of use of lake irrigation pumps have come in since the ban was enacted last month, but neither could be verified because the pumps weren't in use when Duke checked on them, Magee said. There are about 1,500 lake irrigation pumps on Keowee, Magee said.
Duke notified the public in July of the planned lowering for the intake work, so that property owners on the lake could take advantage of the opportunity to perform maintenance on their docks and take boats out if needed due to shallow water.
A draw-down for intake piping work normally isn't performed on a yearly basis, but work was needed on all three units. The company lowered the lake last year to work on Unit 1. It worked on Unit 3 this year and plans to work on Unit 2 in the fall of 2008, Magee said.
Lake area residents and boaters can keep an eye on the levels on Jocassee and Keowee on Duke's Web site at www.duke-energy.com/lakes/levels. There also is a toll-free number that can be called for a recording of current lake information at 1-800-829-LAKE (5253).
