Lake Hartwell petition circulates

(The following story is from WLHR Lavonia, Georgia)

News last week from the US Army Corps of Engineers regarding the lowering of Lake Hartwell’s levels is being met with criticism and anger by people living on and near the lake. Last week, the Corps of Engineers Savannah District announced the lake level will stay at 656 ft msl for the foreseeable future while it works to come up with a plan to fix the dike at the Clemson Lower Diversion Dam. According to the Corps, the lower level it is due to safety concerns and problems with seepage from the Saddle Dike at the Diversion Dam, which has been going on since 2015.

Questions have risen from the public regarding why it has taken so long for the Corps to take action since they clearly have known for the past 11 years that there was a problem with the earthen dam.

The Corps has not given a timeline for when the dike will be fixed, saying first they have to come up with a plan to get it fixed and that developing and implementing the repairs could take years.

Now a petition is circulating calling on Congress to force the Corps to fix the dike sooner rather than later and to announce an exact repair schedule.

The petition states Lake Hartwell property owners and communities should not have to pay the price for a problem that could take 5–10+ years to fix.

The petition states that the continued low lake level will cause more boat ramp closings, the loss of designated swimming areas, reduced boating, fishing, and recreational opportunities, and an impact on tourism.

The petition also says the continued low lake level will affect businesses that depend on the lake, such as marinas, campgrounds, fishing tournaments, and more.

Finally, the petition asks for a clear timeline and transparency in keeping the public informed regarding the dike repair.

In making the announcement last week, the Corps announced two virtual public meetings to discuss the engineering findings, explain the temporary lake level restrictions, and answer questions.

However, meeting dates, times, and platform information have not yet been announced.

Additionally, the Corps says updates will be provided through the Savannah District’s Hartwell Project website at Hartwell Lake and social media platforms as new information becomes available.

So far, over 3,800 people have signed the petition, which can be found at Save Lake Hartwell.