Jeanne and I built our home on the shores of Lake Hartwell just outside Anderson, SC during August, 1992 - March, 1933. We were very fortunately in finding and purchasing the property in 1986. Then, when the lake level began to fall in 1988 we put the property back on the market as we did want to spend our retirement near water, either a lake or river. Again, due to lack of a reasonable bid on the property, we lucked out and didn't sell the lot. Then the lake returned to normal levels and by the time we finished building our home Jeanne was able to use her boat for one thing she loves, Fishing!

You can read about Hartwell Lake and our life on its shores by using the navigation menu. below.

The below chart shows the historic lake levels from 1962-2020 by months. In 2009, the Corps of engineers, who manage the lae level by (1) increasing the "pond" depth behind the dam or (2) releasing water through the dam spillway. Unfortunately, a drough was over the Southeast and the Corps lost control of the lake level, causing it to drop down to about 638' from "full pond" of 660'. It appears that the level cycles between low and high every 12-15 years.

However, the Corps has recently "updated" their policy on controlling the lake and in recent years, 2020s, the level seems to have a high average depth. This is critical as the economy around Lake Hartwell depends on higher lake levels, expecially with the recent national Bass Fishing tournaments that are held here annually.