Lake Keowee
Encyclopedia
Lake Keowee is a man–made reservoir
in the United States
in the state of South Carolina
shaped somewhat like a Christmas tree
. It is notable for having been created to serve the needs of a power utility called the Duke Energy
company as well as public recreational purposes. It is approximately 26 miles (41.8 km) long, 3 miles (4.8 km) wide, with an average depth of 54 feet (16.5 m), and a shoreline measured at 300 miles (482.8 km) in total, and is approximately 800 feet (243.8 m) above sea level. It began in 1971 as a massive demolition and building project, including the construction of two large dams––Keowee Dam and Little River Dam––and covered 18372 acres (74.3 km²) of the state. The lake collects or impounds waters from the Keowee River
and the Little River
and others, and the outflows below the respective dams join to form the Seneca River
which flows into the larger Savannah River
. Lake water helps to cool Duke Energy's three nuclear reactors located at the Oconee Nuclear Generating Station. In addition, the force of falling water through gravity helps generate hydroelectric power
. The Keowee Hydro Station generates 158 megawatts from the lake's outflows. In addition, Lake Keowee has been touted as a recreational destination for fishing
, boating
, swimming, sailing
, kayaking
and other watersports, and the lake has been described as having pure and clean water. The name Keowee is a Cherokee
name roughly translated as "place of the mullberries." The former Keowee River, which was inundated by Lake Keowee, had been part of the Cherokee Lower Towns region, and Keowee Town had been located on the bank of the Keowee River.
, the Native American
nation of the Cherokee
lived in the area and had a settlement called Keowee town along what they called the Keowee River. It was capital of the Eastern or Lower Cherokees. In 1753, white settlers built Fort Prince George across the river from Keowee Town. When the United States
was formed, the
Indian Removal Act of 1830 forced the Cherokee to depart the region, and one estimate was that up to 4,000 of 16,000 Cherokee died from disease, exposure and starvation on what became known as the Trail of Tears
.
Beginning around 1963 and continuing in subsequent years, a company called the South Carolina Land & Timber firm began purchasing land along the Keowee river for the specific purpose of "acquiring, holding, and developing land and timber properties". One source suggested that the then-called Duke Power Company bought 83,400 acres from the Singer Corporation
as well as private landowners. In the middle nineteen sixties, Duke executives consulted with state and federal authorities, and searched for a way to supply the growing southeastern region with greater electricity. They explored various ways to purchase inexpensive land, create artificial lakes, and use the power from stored energy to both cool the reactors from nuclear power plants as well as generate power from cascading waters by hydroelectric methods. The project was modeled in part on successes stemming from the Tennessee Valley Authority
. On January 2, 1965, Duke Energy president W. B. McGuire held a press conference at Clemson University
and announced plans to build a large complex to generate power, called the Keowee-Toxaway project, which would cost an estimated $700 million dollars. Two days later, Duke filed for license to build the first phase of construction.
Since the project would require the flooding of a large area, Duke Energy working with archaeologists
from the University of South Carolina
to excavate many of the sites in the area, including the fort and nearby areas. One participant in the dig built a model of an excavation site that can be viewed at the Keowee-Toxaway State Park. The Cherokee site of Keowee Town was another excavation site, and thousands of artifacts were discovered including pottery beads as well as remains from humans and animals.
A massive demolition and building project began. It involved clearing huge swaths of forest land by removing and selling lumber from the downed trees. Selected wooded areas were set afire to enable bulldozing operations. Some areas were dug deeper to increase the future depth of the lake and give it sufficient volume for its cooling purposes. Duke hired the Jeff Hunt Machinery Company to clear the basins for the Lake Keowee and Lake Jocassee sites; at the time, it was one of the largest orders for land clearing ever to have been given in the states of North Carolina
and South Carolina
; later, it hired the firms of Blythe Brothers and Clement Brothers to begin earth-moving operations commencing in 1967. In the first phase, dams were built on the Keowee and Little rivers to create Lake Keowee; in addition, a dam blocking the Jocassee river created Lake Jocassee
. One estimate of the expense for this phase of the project was 83 million dollars. At the official groundbreaking ceremony in April of 1967, a red, white, and blue dynamite charge was set off by then South Carolina governor Robert McNair.
Three dams were built, of which the Lake Keowee dam was the longest at 3500 feet (1,066.8 m) in length, 800 feet (243.8 m) wide at its base, and 20 feet (6.1 m) wide at the top. While it is 20 feet (6.1 m) higher than the Little River dam, it is 215 feet (65.5 m) lower than the Jocassee dam. Both lakes were fed by the Whitewater, Thompson, and Toxaway Rivers. In addition, the Lake Jocassee hydro station feeds water into Lake Keowee. The initial transfer of water began in December 1973, and commercial operation began on December 19, 1973.
To cool the nuclear reactors, a structure called the Oconee skimmer wall was built which separates the plant's inlet canal from the lake itself. The effect of the skimmer is to fetch cool lake water from a depth of 150 feet which serves as a middle point in the lake's depth -- it is sufficiently deep to be able to extract water during a drought
or prolonged dry spell in which lake levels drop, and it is not too deep where inlet valves may become blocked with mud or other particulate matter.
Duke Energy closed the gates of the Keowee dam on April 2, 1970, to being the final phase of building up the water or what engineers refer to as impounding the lake, to reach an ultimate lake depth of 150 feet (45.7 m). The Keowee hydro station began commercial operation on April 17, 1971. The Oconee Nuclear Site was completed and began operation in 1973, and has currently generated more electricity than any other site in the nation.
Duke Energy
's Oconee Nuclear Station is about 8 miles (12.9 km) each way from the towns of Salem
to the north and Seneca
to the south. Since its began operation, the station has generated more than 500 million megawatt-hours worth of electricity, the very first nuclear station in the country to achieve this. According to one estimate, it has a generating capacity of 2.6 million kilowatts of power, which is enough to power 1.9 million homes. In 2011, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission
renewed the site's license for an additional 20 years of service. There were concerns in 1996 that the utility along with numerous other utilities around the nation had been using improper methods during the refueling process, but investigation led to corrections as well as increased cooling capacity.
"looks over its shoulder" in such aspects as whether the lake is accessible by the public. Duke Energy is also Oconee county's largest taxpayer. Builders and developers and others often must have written permission from the energy utility before embarking on any significant changes around the lake. At the same time, Duke Energy cooperates with state and federal authorities to manage the area; for example, in the summer of 2011, energy officials confered with the United States Army Corps of Engineers
regarding matters such as lake levels and making changes to nuclear station pumps for added flexibility. In addition, the utility has sponsored clean-up drives to keep the lake free of litter and pollution, and has commissioned studies to monitor "recreation pressures on the lake".
Residents who have bought homes along the lake or nearby formed an advocacy group named the Friends Of Lake Keowee Society or abbreviated as FOLKS. It was established in 1993 to represent the interests of lake residents in terms of environmental
and recreational
issues, and have taken such initiatives as monitoring the lake's water quality and watershed. An "Island Keeper Program" is an effort to reduce litter. The advocacy group has brought pressure to block proposed developments; for example, developers seeking to build a multi-use facility in 2011 including a restaurant, store, lodge and fueling station, had to face FOLKS members in a public hearing to get community input. The group is concerned with the lake area becoming over–developed, with too many houses or developments, which may interfere with the overall beauty of the lake. There have been concerns about overcrowding, light pollution
, noise pollution
, and stormwater
runoff. Large-scale developments tend to cause greater concern. One estimate by the advocacy group was that there were at least 80 land parcels on or around the lake which had at least 10 acres each.
County authorities have exerted influence on what happens in and around the lake. In one instance, authorities raised concerns about a planned 12–story highrise condominiums around the lake on the basis that it might change the lake's "skyline".
of Oconee, which is located in the northwestern section of the triangularly-shaped state near the Blue Ridge Mountains
range. Parts of the lake extend into Pickens County, which is directly east and adjacent to Oconee county. The lake is within a few hundred miles of the following southeastern cities: Charleston
250 miles (402.3 km); Columbia
136 miles (218.9 km); Florence
217 miles (349.2 km); Greenville
35 miles (56.3 km); Charlotte
, 127 miles (204.4 km); Raleigh-Durham 269 miles (432.9 km); Atlanta
145 miles (233.4 km); Augusta
135 miles (217.3 km); Savannah
247 miles (397.5 km). Winters are generally mild with temperate summers.
, campsites, fishing piers, a beach for swimming, boat docks and storage. There has been phenomenal growth since the 1970s; one estimate was that there have been 110 separate communities which have "popped up" along the lake's 300 miles of shoreline since the lake's formation, with 10,000 "buildable lots" which have 2,000 houses, many of them "multistory mansions," according to one description. One multi-use facility features a large park for dogs, pet-friendly trails, and open space including shoreline. There are reports that the area is becoming increasingly attractive for retirees as well as persons seeking a weekend retreat. A developer of a gated community brought in almost 5,000 large one-ton boulders to stabilize muddy banks along a creek feeding into the lake. In a section near the lake, developers built a mountain-top golf course
as an amenity. Fire stations in the vicinity include the Keowee Fire Department which is assisted by neighboring companies when necessary. The approval process for developers seeking to build on large lots is "comprehensive", according to one report, with permissions needed from not only the Duke
officials, but from community residents, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
and 14 state and resource agencies as well as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
as well as persons who love lake-related outdoor activity. Many residents own boats; summer weekends were described in one report as busier than weekdays in terms of boaters using the lake. Two residents reported their experience with a lake house:
Notable residents include a religious broadcaster David Cerullo bought a 9000 square foot (0.00083612736 km²) home overlooking the lake. One charity purchased a home for a wounded marine
.
, Tri-County Technical College, and Anderson University
.
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the state of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
shaped somewhat like a Christmas tree
Christmas tree
The Christmas tree is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, real or artificial, and a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas started in Livonia and Germany in the 16th century...
. It is notable for having been created to serve the needs of a power utility called the Duke Energy
Duke Energy
Duke Energy , headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is an energy company with assets in the United States, Canada and Latin America.-Overview:...
company as well as public recreational purposes. It is approximately 26 miles (41.8 km) long, 3 miles (4.8 km) wide, with an average depth of 54 feet (16.5 m), and a shoreline measured at 300 miles (482.8 km) in total, and is approximately 800 feet (243.8 m) above sea level. It began in 1971 as a massive demolition and building project, including the construction of two large dams––Keowee Dam and Little River Dam––and covered 18372 acres (74.3 km²) of the state. The lake collects or impounds waters from the Keowee River
Keowee River
The Keowee River is created by the confluence of the Toxaway River and the Whitewater River in northern Oconee County, South Carolina. The confluence is today submerged beneath the waters of Lake Jocassee, a reservoir created by Lake Jocassee Dam....
and the Little River
Little River (Seneca River)
The Little River originally flowed from its headwaters in northern Oconee County, South Carolina near Salem into the Keowee River northeast of Seneca....
and others, and the outflows below the respective dams join to form the Seneca River
Seneca River (Savannah River)
The Seneca River is created by the confluence of the Keowee River and Twelvemile Creek in northwestern South Carolina, downriver from Lake Keowee near Clemson. It is now entirely inundated by Lake Hartwell, forming a arm of the lake. The Seneca River and the Tugaloo River join to form the Savannah...
which flows into the larger Savannah River
Savannah River
The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the northernmost part of the border...
. Lake water helps to cool Duke Energy's three nuclear reactors located at the Oconee Nuclear Generating Station. In addition, the force of falling water through gravity helps generate hydroelectric power
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
. The Keowee Hydro Station generates 158 megawatts from the lake's outflows. In addition, Lake Keowee has been touted as a recreational destination for fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, boating
Boating
Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels , focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, such as fishing or water skiing...
, swimming, sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
, kayaking
Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
and other watersports, and the lake has been described as having pure and clean water. The name Keowee is a Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
name roughly translated as "place of the mullberries." The former Keowee River, which was inundated by Lake Keowee, had been part of the Cherokee Lower Towns region, and Keowee Town had been located on the bank of the Keowee River.
History
Before European settlement in North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, the Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
nation of the Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
lived in the area and had a settlement called Keowee town along what they called the Keowee River. It was capital of the Eastern or Lower Cherokees. In 1753, white settlers built Fort Prince George across the river from Keowee Town. When the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was formed, the
Indian Removal Act of 1830 forced the Cherokee to depart the region, and one estimate was that up to 4,000 of 16,000 Cherokee died from disease, exposure and starvation on what became known as the Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears is a name given to the forced relocation and movement of Native American nations from southeastern parts of the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830...
.
Beginning around 1963 and continuing in subsequent years, a company called the South Carolina Land & Timber firm began purchasing land along the Keowee river for the specific purpose of "acquiring, holding, and developing land and timber properties". One source suggested that the then-called Duke Power Company bought 83,400 acres from the Singer Corporation
Singer Corporation
Singer Corporation is a manufacturer of sewing machines, first established as I.M. Singer & Co. in 1851 by Isaac Merritt Singer with New York lawyer Edward Clark. Best known for its sewing machines, it was renamed Singer Manufacturing Company in 1865, then The Singer Company in 1963. It is...
as well as private landowners. In the middle nineteen sixties, Duke executives consulted with state and federal authorities, and searched for a way to supply the growing southeastern region with greater electricity. They explored various ways to purchase inexpensive land, create artificial lakes, and use the power from stored energy to both cool the reactors from nuclear power plants as well as generate power from cascading waters by hydroelectric methods. The project was modeled in part on successes stemming from the Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
. On January 2, 1965, Duke Energy president W. B. McGuire held a press conference at Clemson University
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
and announced plans to build a large complex to generate power, called the Keowee-Toxaway project, which would cost an estimated $700 million dollars. Two days later, Duke filed for license to build the first phase of construction.
Since the project would require the flooding of a large area, Duke Energy working with archaeologists
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
from the University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
to excavate many of the sites in the area, including the fort and nearby areas. One participant in the dig built a model of an excavation site that can be viewed at the Keowee-Toxaway State Park. The Cherokee site of Keowee Town was another excavation site, and thousands of artifacts were discovered including pottery beads as well as remains from humans and animals.
A massive demolition and building project began. It involved clearing huge swaths of forest land by removing and selling lumber from the downed trees. Selected wooded areas were set afire to enable bulldozing operations. Some areas were dug deeper to increase the future depth of the lake and give it sufficient volume for its cooling purposes. Duke hired the Jeff Hunt Machinery Company to clear the basins for the Lake Keowee and Lake Jocassee sites; at the time, it was one of the largest orders for land clearing ever to have been given in the states of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
; later, it hired the firms of Blythe Brothers and Clement Brothers to begin earth-moving operations commencing in 1967. In the first phase, dams were built on the Keowee and Little rivers to create Lake Keowee; in addition, a dam blocking the Jocassee river created Lake Jocassee
Lake Jocassee
Lake Jocassee is a , deep reservoir located in northwest South Carolina created by the state in partnership with Duke Power in 1973. The lake is commonly known for the clean and cold Appalachian mountain rivers that feed the lake to keep its waters cool and clear water visibilities year-round. ...
. One estimate of the expense for this phase of the project was 83 million dollars. At the official groundbreaking ceremony in April of 1967, a red, white, and blue dynamite charge was set off by then South Carolina governor Robert McNair.
Three dams were built, of which the Lake Keowee dam was the longest at 3500 feet (1,066.8 m) in length, 800 feet (243.8 m) wide at its base, and 20 feet (6.1 m) wide at the top. While it is 20 feet (6.1 m) higher than the Little River dam, it is 215 feet (65.5 m) lower than the Jocassee dam. Both lakes were fed by the Whitewater, Thompson, and Toxaway Rivers. In addition, the Lake Jocassee hydro station feeds water into Lake Keowee. The initial transfer of water began in December 1973, and commercial operation began on December 19, 1973.
Power generation
The Keowee dam has two hydroelectric generating units, capable of generating 40 megawatts which is sufficient energy to power approximately 7,000 homes. In addition, a tunnel was built for the purpose of transporting water. The Keowee water transportation tunnel is 800 feet (243.8 m) long and 33.5 feet (10.2 m) feet wide and contains a maximum of 5300000 gallons (20,062,683.6 l) with an average flow rate of 1000 cubic feet (28.3 m³) per second.To cool the nuclear reactors, a structure called the Oconee skimmer wall was built which separates the plant's inlet canal from the lake itself. The effect of the skimmer is to fetch cool lake water from a depth of 150 feet which serves as a middle point in the lake's depth -- it is sufficiently deep to be able to extract water during a drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
or prolonged dry spell in which lake levels drop, and it is not too deep where inlet valves may become blocked with mud or other particulate matter.
Duke Energy closed the gates of the Keowee dam on April 2, 1970, to being the final phase of building up the water or what engineers refer to as impounding the lake, to reach an ultimate lake depth of 150 feet (45.7 m). The Keowee hydro station began commercial operation on April 17, 1971. The Oconee Nuclear Site was completed and began operation in 1973, and has currently generated more electricity than any other site in the nation.
Duke Energy
Duke Energy
Duke Energy , headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is an energy company with assets in the United States, Canada and Latin America.-Overview:...
's Oconee Nuclear Station is about 8 miles (12.9 km) each way from the towns of Salem
Salem, South Carolina
Salem is a town in Oconee County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 135 at the 2010 United States Census..-Geography:Salem is located at ....
to the north and Seneca
Seneca, South Carolina
Seneca is a city in Oconee County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 7,652 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of the Seneca Micropolitan Statistical Area Seneca is a city in Oconee County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 7,652 at the 2000 census. It is...
to the south. Since its began operation, the station has generated more than 500 million megawatt-hours worth of electricity, the very first nuclear station in the country to achieve this. According to one estimate, it has a generating capacity of 2.6 million kilowatts of power, which is enough to power 1.9 million homes. In 2011, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 from the United States Atomic Energy Commission, and was first opened January 19, 1975...
renewed the site's license for an additional 20 years of service. There were concerns in 1996 that the utility along with numerous other utilities around the nation had been using improper methods during the refueling process, but investigation led to corrections as well as increased cooling capacity.
Politics
Since Duke Energy built the lake and uses it regularly for power generation and cooling, it exerts considerable authority towards its operation. It has management responsibility for not just the lake, but for the shoreline around the lake including docks and walls, and is responsible for the land around the lake up to a specific elevation. While it has significant authority over the lake area, the Federal Energy Regulatory CommissionFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is the United States federal agency with jurisdiction over interstate electricity sales, wholesale electric rates, hydroelectric licensing, natural gas pricing, and oil pipeline rates...
"looks over its shoulder" in such aspects as whether the lake is accessible by the public. Duke Energy is also Oconee county's largest taxpayer. Builders and developers and others often must have written permission from the energy utility before embarking on any significant changes around the lake. At the same time, Duke Energy cooperates with state and federal authorities to manage the area; for example, in the summer of 2011, energy officials confered with the United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
regarding matters such as lake levels and making changes to nuclear station pumps for added flexibility. In addition, the utility has sponsored clean-up drives to keep the lake free of litter and pollution, and has commissioned studies to monitor "recreation pressures on the lake".
Residents who have bought homes along the lake or nearby formed an advocacy group named the Friends Of Lake Keowee Society or abbreviated as FOLKS. It was established in 1993 to represent the interests of lake residents in terms of environmental
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
and recreational
Recreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...
issues, and have taken such initiatives as monitoring the lake's water quality and watershed. An "Island Keeper Program" is an effort to reduce litter. The advocacy group has brought pressure to block proposed developments; for example, developers seeking to build a multi-use facility in 2011 including a restaurant, store, lodge and fueling station, had to face FOLKS members in a public hearing to get community input. The group is concerned with the lake area becoming over–developed, with too many houses or developments, which may interfere with the overall beauty of the lake. There have been concerns about overcrowding, light pollution
Light pollution
Light pollution, also known as photopollution or luminous pollution, is excessive or obtrusive artificial light.The International Dark-Sky Association defines light pollution as:...
, noise pollution
Noise pollution
Noise pollution is excessive, displeasing human, animal or machine-created environmental noise that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life...
, and stormwater
Stormwater
Stormwater is water that originates during precipitation events. It may also be used to apply to water that originates with snowmelt that enters the stormwater system...
runoff. Large-scale developments tend to cause greater concern. One estimate by the advocacy group was that there were at least 80 land parcels on or around the lake which had at least 10 acres each.
County authorities have exerted influence on what happens in and around the lake. In one instance, authorities raised concerns about a planned 12–story highrise condominiums around the lake on the basis that it might change the lake's "skyline".
Geography and climate
The Lake is predominately located in the South Carolina countyCounty
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Oconee, which is located in the northwestern section of the triangularly-shaped state near the Blue Ridge Mountains
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
range. Parts of the lake extend into Pickens County, which is directly east and adjacent to Oconee county. The lake is within a few hundred miles of the following southeastern cities: Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
250 miles (402.3 km); Columbia
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
136 miles (218.9 km); Florence
Florence, South Carolina
-Municipal government and politics:The City of Florence has a council-manager form of government. The mayor and city council are elected every four years, with no term limits...
217 miles (349.2 km); Greenville
Greenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
35 miles (56.3 km); Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, 127 miles (204.4 km); Raleigh-Durham 269 miles (432.9 km); Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
145 miles (233.4 km); Augusta
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
135 miles (217.3 km); Savannah
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
247 miles (397.5 km). Winters are generally mild with temperate summers.
Recreation
- Public parks. At the lake's north end, the Keowee-Toxaway State Park was built. There are other parks along and around the lake as well.
- Campgrounds. The 1000 acres (4 km²) Keowee-Toxaway State Park was created by a partnership between Duke Energy and the state of South Carolina. It consists of three different parks: 155 acre (0.6272633 km²) Mile Creek Park, 40 acre (0.1618744 km²) South Cove Park, and the 44 acre (0.17806184 km²) High Falls Park. An additional 373 acres (1.5 km²) known as Eastotoe Park is managed by the South Carolina department of Natural Resources as a natural wildlife preserve. Duke Energy also has created six additional boat access slips. Selected islands in the lake are accessible during daytime hours, although Duke Energy generally prohibits overnight camping, fires, littering, and making any permanent structures on them or removing any vegetation from them.
- Boating. Lake Keowee provides a marina for residents who live around the lake or nearby. There have been boating-related accidents; in one high profile incident, a ClemsonClemson UniversityClemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
football player on a jet skiJet skiJet Ski is the brand name of a personal watercraft manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The name is sometimes mistakenly used by those unfamiliar with the personal watercraft industry to refer to any type of personal watercraft; however, the name is a valid trademark registered with the...
struck and killed an assistant track coach resulting in much media attention. There have been other instances of collisions between boats. To provide outdoor facilities for boaters, county administrators built a floating bathroom at the expense of $135,000 as part of an effort to "preserve the shoreline and protect water quality, citing complaints about diapers, toilet paper and other items found around the lake."
- Water sports. The lake is a venue for a variety of water sports such as waterskiing.
- Fishing. The lake has three types of bass–– largemouthLargemouth bassThe largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
, smallmouthSmallmouth bassThe smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus...
and spottedSpotted bassThe Spotted Bass , also called "Spotty", "Leeman", or "Spots" in various fishing communities, is a species of freshwater fish sunfish family of order Perciformes. One of the black basses, it is native to the Mississippi River basin and across theGulf States, from central Texas through the Florida...
–– as well as crappieCrappieCrappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...
, bluegillBluegillThe Bluegill is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes.-Range and distribution:...
, yellow perchYellow perchThe yellow perch is a species of perch found in the United States and Canada, where it is often referred to by the shortform perch. Yellow perch look similar to the European perch, but are paler and more yellowish, with less red in the fins. They have six to eight dark, vertical bars on their sides...
, catfishCatfishCatfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
, brown troutBrown troutThe brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
and rainbow troutRainbow troutThe rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
.
- Swimming. The lake is suitable for swimmingSwimmingSwimming is movement through water using one's limbs, and usually without artificial apparatus. Swimming is an activity that can be both useful and recreational...
. There have been instances of drowningDrowningDrowning is death from asphyxia due to suffocation caused by water entering the lungs and preventing the absorption of oxygen leading to cerebral hypoxia....
s. sometimes because a non-swimmer was knocked into a deeper section of the lake or fell into a section where a hidden underwater current overpowered a swimmer.
Physical features
- Area. Lake Keowee’s waters cover approximately 18500 acres (74.9 km²) and there is 300 miles of shoreline. The full water elevation of Lake Keowee is around 800 feet. It is 23 miles long and 3 miles wide at the widest point. There is an average depth of 54 feet.
- Drinking water. The lake provides drinking water to GreenvilleGreenville, South Carolina-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
and SenecaSeneca, South CarolinaSeneca is a city in Oconee County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 7,652 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of the Seneca Micropolitan Statistical Area Seneca is a city in Oconee County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 7,652 at the 2000 census. It is...
and surrounding areas.
- Cleanliness. The lake has a reputation for having excellent water quality, although there was one report that one of the 110 communities, Keowee Key, discharges wastewater directly into the lake. The remaining communities have other methods to dispose of wastewater, such as pumping wastewater to a special site where it is "drip-dispursed" or using buffers or specialized filtration systems.
Real estate
The area has attracted real estate developers who have built a wide range of facilities for differing purposes. One private developer in conjunction with authorities from Pickens County is building a multi-use "recreation complex" which features cabins, boats, restaurants, parking for RVsRecreational vehicle
Recreational vehicle or RV is, in North America, the usual term for a Motor vehicle or trailer equipped with living space and amenities found in a home.-Features:...
, campsites, fishing piers, a beach for swimming, boat docks and storage. There has been phenomenal growth since the 1970s; one estimate was that there have been 110 separate communities which have "popped up" along the lake's 300 miles of shoreline since the lake's formation, with 10,000 "buildable lots" which have 2,000 houses, many of them "multistory mansions," according to one description. One multi-use facility features a large park for dogs, pet-friendly trails, and open space including shoreline. There are reports that the area is becoming increasingly attractive for retirees as well as persons seeking a weekend retreat. A developer of a gated community brought in almost 5,000 large one-ton boulders to stabilize muddy banks along a creek feeding into the lake. In a section near the lake, developers built a mountain-top golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
as an amenity. Fire stations in the vicinity include the Keowee Fire Department which is assisted by neighboring companies when necessary. The approval process for developers seeking to build on large lots is "comprehensive", according to one report, with permissions needed from not only the Duke
Duke Energy
Duke Energy , headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is an energy company with assets in the United States, Canada and Latin America.-Overview:...
officials, but from community residents, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is the United States federal agency with jurisdiction over interstate electricity sales, wholesale electric rates, hydroelectric licensing, natural gas pricing, and oil pipeline rates...
and 14 state and resource agencies as well as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Restaurants
There is an octagonal two-story restaurant accessible by both car and boat.Vacation homes
Homes in the lake area have been constructed and bought by persons seeking retirementRetirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
as well as persons who love lake-related outdoor activity. Many residents own boats; summer weekends were described in one report as busier than weekdays in terms of boaters using the lake. Two residents reported their experience with a lake house:
Notable residents include a religious broadcaster David Cerullo bought a 9000 square foot (0.00083612736 km²) home overlooking the lake. One charity purchased a home for a wounded marine
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
.
Other
Education. There are numerous schools located near the lake, including Clemson UniversityClemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
, Tri-County Technical College, and Anderson University
Anderson University
Anderson University may refer to:*Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana.*Anderson University in Anderson, South Carolina....
.