Aug. 14--EDITOR'S NOTE: Lake Wylie Pilot reporter John Marks headed out on the water last week, thanks to Bill Orford of York. This is his account of what he saw with the latest information from local lake authorities included.

Not a drop of rain fell last week, and a drop likely wouldn't have stood much chance anyway with temperatures and heat indexes looking more like oven temperatures than weather reports. Record-breaking, triple digit heat throughout the Charlotte area combined with dry conditions to keep lake levels throughout the Catawba River Basin low. Lake Wylie, currently suffering from the most severe drop in water level among Catawba reservoirs, remains about five feet below full pond. "I am greatly concerned about what might happen to the plummeting lake level if we get into drought stages two, three or four," said Bill Orford of York, noting that the area now finds itself in stage one drought.

To get an idea of the impact suffered when five feet of water no longer flow in the lake, Orford took me out in his boat last week. What we saw were beaches--everywhere. Golden and mud-colored sand marked the banks where water ordinarily rises to touch and. On those beaches sat docks, sailboats, pontoons and opportunistic birds stalking an easy catch in shallow waters. One sailboat leaned so far left in mud and shallow water, I swore it would topple over the dock tied to it. And these conditions come with stage one drought, only the second classification on a 0-4 Low Inflow Protocol scale introduced by Duke Energy to maintain water levels along the river.

"It was my understanding that the purpose of the Low Inflow Protocol was to be preemptive in addressing drought conditions...with the key goal being to take action early enough to stay ahead of worsening drought conditions," Orford said. I could see why he is questioning the system, which requires water withdrawing communities all along the lake to conserve water based on the number given, especially as his boat slowly drifted through the middle of Little Allison Creek. With at least a ootball field to each side before hitting the bank, Orford's depth finder read three feet and his propeller proved it.

Still, said Duke spokeswoman Marilyn Lineberger, it is important to remember that the problems would be worse without the LIP system, which currently is calling for voluntary water use reduction of 3 to 5 percent. "I think the lake levels are holding pretty steady," said Lineberger. "Drought, of course, is long term. Things really don't happen overnight with a drought." Unfortunately, problems on the lake could get worse. "When temperatures climb above 95 degrees for several days in a row, evaporation can cause a loss of approximately one million gallons of water in a day in some of the large lakes," said Catawba Riverkeeper Donna Lisenby.

According to the Riverkeeper Foundation, the river and its lakes are already experiencing algae blooms, boat ramp closings, marina docks bottoming out, boats stranded in mud and boat damage as more hazards come closer to the surface. "Some people still used it, but it definitely slowed down," said Ian Young, manager at Tega Cay Marina, of the boat ramp there just before it closed. "We've actually had to relocate some of our slips because they were just getting too shallow. It hasn't affected most of our slips, but it has some." The Tega Cay ramp has large orange cones across the front, a similar sight to ramps at McDowell Park and Copperhead Island in Steele Creek.

Public ramps like the one at Buster Boyd Access remain open, while some of the privately run or leased access are s chose to shut down until water levels rise. "It's getting more severe, and it's having an impact," Lineberger said. Most residents and groups still remember the record drought of 2002 as the worst they have seen, but current conditions are not far behind and certain spots are as dry as they can be. A Clover family spent an entire day last week looking for a swimming ole, checking all the usual spots but finding only mud or dry ground. "I've never seen it like this," said Heather Sloan, staring over Mill Creek at the S.C.

274 bridge. "I've seen it dry, but not this bad." That same spot turned dangerous on Friday, when the York County Sheriff's Office received a call after someone tried to drive atop the mud. "We got a call today that a vehicle was in the river at Crowders Creek off Hwy. 274," said detective Tracy Strickland. The large SUV, up to its bumper in mud, did not injure anyone as it sank into the river bed. Like so many sights around the lake, though, it did remind anyone seeing it that high heat and no rain can cause all sorts of problems if people are not careful

As Duke monitors everything from local heat indexes to possible tropical storm formations at sea for answers, the next several days are not expected to be much better. "We're looking at a tough week," Lineberger said. While Duke lowered power generation at several of its Catawba River facilities last week due to high water temperatures, the company is asking residents throughout the region to conserve water when possible. The response of individuals within the basin ill determine what impacts the drought has as the area waits for rain. "We need everyone to be a drought buster," Lineberger said.

Be aware For those who continue to operate boats on the Catawba River lakes, be aware that low water levels make the lakes and the river much more dangerous as more hazards to navigation are uncovered. As a precaution, operate in boats in deep water only. If you have a depth finder on your boat, it might be a good practice to pay much closer attention to it as dropping water levels mean areas that were safe to boat in become unsafe.