AS OF 5/2/2008

COE Reported Level: 5/2/2008: 652' (8' Below Full Pool)

COE Projection: Dropping to about 651' (9' Below Full Pool) Early to mid July.

By Comparison the lake level was:
642.40 ( 17.60' Below Full Pool) December 24, 1981
645.86 ( 14.14' Below Full Pool) in December 1988
646.75 (13.25' Below Full Pool) in September 2002

 Visit http://www.lakefronthartwell.com/ for current Lake News

 CURRENT HARTWELL LEVEL    Ramp Closings

Ramp Useable Levels - 42 of 100 ramps on Hartwell are useable even if the lake goes down as far as 638' (22' Below Full Pool)

Level at the dock is estimated projection for
 JULY 4th
Levels may be higher or lower depending on rainfall.

PLEASE NOTE: The water depth at Lake Hartwell varies significantly from house to house. The level at a nearby house or boat ramp is NOT indicative of the level at any given house.
"TODAY'S DEPTH at the DOCK" = "WATER DEPTH" - ("LAKE MSL on Date Measured"-"Current Lake Level ")

Q- How has the drought affected recreation on and around Lake Hartwell?    A- That depends

DOCKS: The drought in the Southeast has caused the level of Hartwell and other area lakes to drop significantly. Docks on Lake Hartwell are designed to be floating (as opposed to fixed in some other areas of the country). Most docks are also moveable and are able to be repositioned by their owners in response to significant changes in the water levels. Some docks that are normally in shallow water are unable to be moved enough to keep up with the current lower water levels and are now unusable for docking a boat. However, others are moveable to the point that they can remain useable even with severely lower lake levels. Docks in deep water areas generally remain useable for all normal recreation activities. For a list of dock levels we have recently measured see above. If a house you are interested in does not appear on this list, e-mail or call and we will have it measured.

WATER SPORTS: Lower lake levels mean three things:
1) There is less lake. Hartwell Lake has a shoreline of 960 miles and a surface area of 56,000 acres at full pool. A 10' drop in lake level reduces the surface area by an estimated 8% leaving a surface area of about 45,000 acres. This makes Hartwell still one of the largest recreation lakes in the nation and provides all the recreation opportunities that it does at full pool. In fact, the lower levels expose several miles of sandy beaches and create opportunities for walking and exploring the shoreline. Above is a current image from a web-cam located across from the Poplar Springs area. The image updates every 10 minutes during daylight hours.

2) There are additional hazards. True, lower levels expose more stumps and rocks. The lower levels also cause hazards that were just below the surface at full pool to now stand out. The channels on Lake Hartwell are well marked. Using safe boating practices and staying between the channel markers is recommended in any situation with which you are unfamiliar. Lower lake levels make this especially important

3) Some boat ramps and swim areas are closed. Follow this link to a Corps listing of major open and closed ramps.

FISHING: The fishing can actually improve with lower lake levels. Same number of fish, less lake to be in.

AREA RECREATION: Among the recreation opportunities in The Mountain Lakes Region of Georgia and South Carolina are over 2 million acres of National Forest lands and hundreds of miles of hiking trails, mountain trout streams, dozens of waterfalls, horseback riding, whitewater rafting, canoeing, rock climbing, mountain biking, scenic drives, bicycling, gem mining, mountain vistas, historic sites, festivals and special events, music venues, sports venues, dozens of beautiful picnic areas,  unique area craft markets and factory outlets as well as the largest flea markets in the Southeastern United States, and more. These are available regardless of lake levels.

WATER LEVEL GUARANTEE: For houses highlighted above in GREEN, we guarantee that the water level at the deep end of the dock will be at least 3-1/2' feet deep at the time of your arrival. If not, you will be entitled to change to another house with no penalty (Pay only the price of the new house). If you elect to stay at the original house you will receive a $200 discount for a full week or a $100 discount for 3 nights or more.