Why Keowee remains full and other lakes drop

South Carolina’s Seneca River and Georgia’s Tugaloo River meet underneath the water of Lake Hartwell to form the Savannah. Both rivers sport privately-owned reservoirs used to produce electricity for the region. The reservoirs also provide water for lakes Hartwell, Russell and Thurmond—and therefore the rest of the basin. Stakeholders in the basin occasionally ask the U-S Army Corps of Engineers why Keowee seems to remain full while Hartwell and Thurmond drop, especially during drought. The reality, according to water manager Stanley Simpson, is that Duke Energy, owner of Keowee, Lake Jocassee and the Bad Creek reservoir, provide significant amounts of water to the basin. Under a 1968 storage balance agreement, Duke provides water to Lake Hartwell based on the remaining conservation storage in Hartwell. As Hartwell declines during the drought, the total conservation storage of Duke’s reservoir system must decline by the same percentage. Another important issue requires a more stable water level at Lake Keowee — the Oconee Nuclear Station. A leveling off of the district’s reservoirs is expected by the end of the year. Long-range outlooks by the National Weather Service, an anticipated milder winter, and the annual, natural reduction in evaporation and transpiration should lead to the reservoirs stabilizing.