Why Lake Keowee dropped over the holiday weekend?

A Duke Energy official has offered an explanation why the level of Lake Keowee dropped Memorial Day weekend as the holiday weekend wore on. The answer given by Duke’s George Galleher relates to several weeks of maintenance at the utility’s Bad Creek hydro station. The work required was described as a significant increase pump-back into Lake Jocassee to fill Bad Creek. Jack Lewis, president of Friends of Lake Keowee, says FOLKS received calls about the drop in Keowee’s level. It’s a reminder, from Galleher’s standpoint, why those bodies of water were built in the first place. “It was for energy production from conventional hydroelectric processes, pumped storage hydroelectric processes, and operation of the Oconee Nuclear Station,” Galleher says. Duke took advantage of the mild holiday weekend to use non-peak time energy to refill both of the upper lakes.