Lake Wylie Water Levels Drop Below Normal as Drought Persists

Lake Wylie sits well below where it should be. Drought has gripped the Charlotte area for months now, and Duke Energy data confirms what boaters see with their own eyes.

Bailey Thomas spent time on the water this week. The change from last year struck her. "From last year when we came, it's kind of crazy how low it is," Thomas said, according to WCNC.

Getting a pontoon boat through shallow spots has become tricky. "We were like having to do different things like to maneuver the boat," Thomas said. "Because we have a pontoon so it's kind of hard to do that anyway, to maneuver a big motor around."

Rocks and mud now appear where water once lapped. Thomas mentioned her grandfather fishes at a spot that water used to cover completely — now the rocks stick out bare. Some ramps have shut down. "We called earlier and there was a guy that said he has two boat ramps out because the water's pretty low," Thomas added.

Lorenzo Carter fishes Lake Wylie often. He's noticed the shift too. "It's been a little hassle trying to catch the bait fish and all that stuff," Carter said.

Those exposed rocks tell the story. "Often the water covers the rocks down there, so when you see the rocks down there, that means the water is really low," Carter said.

Brandon Jones serves as the Catawba Riverkeeper. His team began monitoring conditions late last year, and what they found on Monday, April 20, broke records — but not the good kind.

"Imagine 800 basketballs of water coming into the Lake Wylie every single day from this tributary. Right now, it's about 240," Jones said, according to WBTV. "So, in the 80 years of record that we have for this tributary, this is the lowest it's ever been on April 20th."

Jones pushed residents to cut both electricity and water. Power plants evaporate most of what the basin holds. "The vast majority of the water from the basin is evaporated due to electrical use," Jones said, according to WBTV.

The Catawba Wateree Drought Water Management Group plans meetings on May 1 and May 16. They'll decide if mandatory restrictions must happen. Charlotte Water asks residents to conserve on their own for now, though officials warn that without rain — and soon — the situation will worsen.