Lake Wateree is a reservoir in Kershaw, Fairfield, and Lancaster counties, South Carolina, in the United States. Developed in 1919 by the damming of the Wateree River, it is one of South Carolina's oldest man-made lakes. It has of shoreline and includes Lake Wateree State Park, a bird refuge, and Shaw Air Force Base Recreation Center. It was named after the river, and both were named for the Wateree Native Americans, an historic tribe who lived in the area before European settlement. They became extinct as a tribe after European warfare and encroachment, and their descendants merged with the Catawba people.

Location

The lake is surrounded by three South Carolina counties: Kershaw, Fairfield and Lancaster. It is about northeast of the capital

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

I-77 Interstate 77 (I-77) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the ...

passes west of the lake, and it is accessible via SC 97.

Origin

Duke Power (now

Duke Energy Duke Energy Corporation is an American electric power and natural gas holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Overview Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Duke Energy owns 58,200 megawatts of base-load and peak generation in ...

) dammed the Wateree River to generate hydroelectric power, and flooded a large area in 1919, creating Lake Wateree. The Wateree Hydro Station produces 56 megawatts of electricity. The lake covers nearly with of shoreline touching three counties.History of Lake Wateree, South Carolina
/ref> The lake is an average of deep with an estimated volume of .

Wildlife

Lake Wateree is known for its fishing and bountiful wildlife around the shoreline. The fish include Largemouth Bass,

Striped bass The striped bass (''Morone saxatilis''), also called the Atlantic striped bass, striper, linesider, rock, or rockfish, is an anadromous perciform fish of the family Moronidae found primarily along the Atlantic coast of North America. It has al ...

, White Perch, White bass,

Crappie Crappies () are two species of North American freshwater fish of the genus ''Pomoxis'' in the family Centrarchidae (sunfishes). Both species of crappies are popular game fish among recreational anglers. Etymology The genus name ''Pomoxis'' ...

Channel catfish The channel catfish (''Ictalurus punctatus'') is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States, the ...

, Arkansas Blue Catfish, Shellcrackers, Bream. Other wildlife in the area include deer,

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelv ...

squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...

, turtle, dove, turkey, alligator, and various species of duck,

hawk Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica. * The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. Th ...

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

, egret, Heron and osprey.

References

External links

Freshwater Fishing Regulations
{{authority control Protected areas of Fairfield County, South Carolina Protected areas of Kershaw County, South Carolina Protected areas of Lancaster County, South Carolina Wateree Dams in South Carolina Duke Energy dams Bodies of water of Fairfield County, South Carolina Bodies of water of Kershaw County, South Carolina Bodies of water of Lancaster County, South Carolina Catawba River

Location

Origin

Wildlife

See also

References

External links