Hartwell Dam Spillway opens as Lake reaches Flood Stage

Sister station WLHR reports the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has opened the spillway gates at the Hartwell Dam. Earlier this morning, the gates opened to release water because of the heavy rainfall from last night, according to Corps spokesperson Billy Birdwell. The Corps is also monitoring closely the tropical storm now in the Caribbean, Birdwell said, which could influence the weather in our area and bring us even more rain. Hartwell Lake is nearing historic levels and overnight the National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg announced the lake has reached flood stage. Meteorologist Justin Lane said flood stage for the National Weather Service is considered 665 ft msl, five feet above full pool. Lane said the National Weather Service has two gauges on the lake to measure lake levels and he said both gauges, one on the Georgia side at Hartwell Dam, the other on the South Carolina side in Anderson have indicated the lake is at flood stage. However, Lane said at the 665-msl level, problems with streams and rivers overflowing their banks occur. Lane said for there to be any major impact on Hartwell and surrounding areas, the lake level would have to rise much higher. Lane said however, the National Weather Service has never before designated the lake as reaching flood stage.