Escape to GA, after a summer of “shelter in place” … Thanks to COVID-19 – Day 10 – Wednesday 9/23/20

Today, our morning began watching the Canadian Goose, I guess no one told him the border is closed! Also enjoyed seeing the schools of fish in the lake! The sunrise was obscured by the clouds this morning for us. Lake Hartwell is a well renown bass fishing lake and is a favorite of many legends of the sport.  Anglers can fish for bass, catfish, crappie, walleye, bluegill, sunfish, striped bass and hybrid stripers. 

Later we decided to visit the Hartwell Dam and learn more about Hartwell Lake. It is is one of the Southeast's largest and most popular public recreation lakes. Built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1955 and 1963 as part of a flood control, hydropower, and navigation project. Impoundment of the lake began in February 1961. The lake reached its full pool elevation of 660 feet on March 12, 1962.

The Hartwell Power plant was completed in 1961; the first generator went on-line at on April 27, 1962. The power plant is a "peaking power plant” style, this means that power is not constantly generated. Instead, power is generated at times when electricity is in the greatest demand. The average yearly generation from the Hartwell Power plant is approximately 470,000 - megawatt hours. Megawatt hours produced in 2008 were 217,423. The 2008 total is below average because of reductions in generation due to drought conditions in the Savannah River Basin in 2008.

Now activities include recreation, water quality, water supply, and fish and wildlife management. Each year, millions of people utilize the many public parks, marinas, and campgrounds conveniently located around the lake to pursue a variety of outdoor recreational experiences. All this activity makes Hartwell one of the most visited Corps of Engineer lakes in the nation!

Hartwell Lake is a man-made lake bordering Georgia and South Carolina on the Savannah, Tugaloo, and Seneca Rivers. The lake is created by Hartwell Dam located on the Savannah River seven miles below the point at which the Tugaloo and Seneca Rivers join to form the Savannah. The Savannah River is approximately 315 miles long. The river ends in the Atlantic Ocean near Savannah, Georgia.

Hartwell Lake comprises nearly 56,000 acres of water with a shoreline of 962 miles. The entire Hartwell “Project” contains 76,450 acres of land and water. Interstate 85 bisects Hartwell Lake and makes the area easily accessible to visitors.

The lake is located in two states (Georgia and South Carolina) and 6 counties (Georgia – Hart, Franklin, and Stephens Counties; South Carolina – Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens Counties).

Hartwell Lake and Dam was the second Corps of Engineers project to be built in the Savannah River Basin. The first, J. Strom Thurmond Lake and Dam, was completed in 1952. A third project, Richard B. Russell Lake and Dam was completed in 1985. Congress authorized Hartwell in 1950 and construction began in October 1955. The project was completed in 1963 at a cost of more than $89 million. Hartwell Dam is built of more than 880,000 cubic yards of concrete (enough to build a sidewalk from the dam to San Francisco) and more than 3 million pounds of reinforcing steel.

Interesting facts about the Hartwell Lake and Dam. The top of the dam is 204 feet above the Savannah River Bed. The depth of the lake behind the dam is approximately 180 feet. The Hartwell Dam and Lake has prevented over $101,998 million in flood damages since 1962. The floodgates at the Hartwell Dam have been opened for flood control purposes three times - in 1964, 1965, and 1994. They have been opened at other times for maintenance and inspection purposes.

None of us realized the walk to the dam from the visitor’s center parking lot was almost 3 miles round trip! 

But, we took our time and took advantage of the benches and port-a-potties and we all made it!

None of us worse for the wear ... well most of us anyway!

We enjoyed a soup, stew and salad dinner with delicious desserts. We ended the evening with a campfire and group picture!

Starting tomorrow some of the group begins to head in different directions!