Closing of Corps of Engineers boat ramps

We want to alert you to anticipated lake conditions that you should plan for. The Corps is currently projecting lake levels down about 25 feet by late December, with a likely rise later in the winter/early spring. The Corps has also announced the "official" closing of all their boat ramps, although they are temporarily adding gravel at the end of several ramps to provide some access, as listed in their announcement (see attached article.) Please consider this and your current dock conditions to assess whether you need to remove boats, etc., before that is no longer an option.

The Corps published the following article in the Anderson Independent Mail regarding closing of boat ramps.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

HARTWELL — Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Hartwell Lake Office announced Friday that because of record-breaking low lake levels, all Corps managed ramps are closed until further notice.

The Corps marks ramps as "closed" with signs when there is less than three vertical feet of water at the end of the ramp.

The longest ramps managed by the Corps on Hartwell Lake go to elevation 640' feet mean sea level (msl.). Today's lake elevation is 641.75 ft-msl.

Because of the low lake levels, the Corps has taken actions to extend the use of five boat ramps by placing rock or gravel on the lake bed at the end of the ramps.  Boaters are urged, however, to inspect ramp conditions carefully and use at their own risk.

"As the lake level continues to drop, we will continue to monitor these areas and add more rock as long as the slope of the selected ramps allows for that," said Tanya Grant, Corps Park Ranger at Hartwell Lake. “However, anyone using a boat ramp needs to inspect it carefully to make sure it is usable for their particular boat and trailer."

The ramps that have been extended by adding rock are:

-   Big Oaks and Crawfords Ferry in Hart Co., Ga.
-   Green Pond and Hattons Ford in Anderson Co., SC.
-   Martin Creek in Oconee Co., SC.

Even with these extensions, closed signs will still be posted at the boat ramps because of the constantly changing lake conditions.

For additional information, contact the Hartwell Operations Manager's Office toll free at 1-888-893-0678 or 706-856-0300.