The seemingly endless rain continues to cause problems, this time with significant flooding on the Wateree River and Lake Wateree.
The National Weather Service issued a flood warning Thursday morning for Lake Wateree and the Wateree River near Lake Wateree, advising area residents to take appropriate precautions.
“As of 11:45 a.m. Thursday, the lake level at Lake Wateree measured 104.5 feet, over the 100 foot flood stage, and is expected to rise to 106 feet over the next 9-12 hours,” according to an NWS press release.
The release also advised residents in low lying areas to move belongings out of basements or from under raised houses as the lake levels reach 103 feet.
Roads and homes nearest the lake shore flood when the level reaches 105 feet and flooded roads can islolate areas extending from the lakeshore, according to the release.
The Wateree River was recorded at 30.83 feet at 9 a.m. Thursday and was expected to rise to 32.3 feet by Thursday evening. NWS expected the water level to fall below the 27 feet flood stage after midnight Saturday night/Sunday morning.
Patriot’s Point, the public boat landing on U.S. 1 at the bridge will remain closed due to flood water, according to the release.
“The Kershaw County Department of Safety and Emergency Services has and will continue to monitor the flooding at Lake Wateree and The Wateree River,” Kershaw County Safety and Emergency Services Director Gene Faulkenberry said. “We encourage Kershaw County citizens to take precaution as weather conditions continue to change. Residents living on or near flooding areas should to pay attention to rising flood levels. As always, we will continue to work closely with Duke Energy to provide updates to our local media and publish all new updates on our county website and Facebook page.”
Duke Energy had issued an advisory Wednesday warning of a significant high water event in progress on the Catawba-Wateree river basin.
“Duke Energy is working closely with local emergency management officials to help ensure public safety during this unprecedented rainfall event,” according to the release.
Lake Wateree crested at 106.9 a few days after Hurricane Hugo in 1989, according to the release.
NWS, Kershaw County, and Duke Energy officials stated the projected lake level is subject to change with the continuing rainfall in the area.
Wednesday evening the city of Camden experienced a power outage along the Broad Street circuit, which affected customers along Broad Street between Broad and Lyttleton Street fromDicey Ford Road to Chesnut Street. The power went out at about 6 p.m. and was completely restored around 8:40 p.m., according to City of Camden Public Works Director Tom Couch.
While the city is not expecting any significant weather-related problems, Couch did note that the ground is saturated and that could cause potential problems.
Updated lake level information is available any time from Duke Energy at http://www.duke-energy.com/lakes or by calling 800-829-5253.
