WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
The main objective of the Hartwell Project wildlife
management program is to improve wildlife habitat through, accepted
forestry and wildlife management practices consistent with the multiple
use objectives of the lake project. Another objective is to provide
hunting opportunities at suitable locations. Wildlife viewing
opportunities are also available on project lands. Wildlife management
activities are coordinated with appropriate State agencies, and
cooperative efforts with interested groups are also encouraged.
Currently,
approximately 2500 acres of Hartwell Project land is leased to the South
Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) for wildlife
management. Beaverdam Creek Wildlife Management Area, located in
Townville, is a 900 acre waterfowl management area leased to SCDNR.
Waterfowl hunting is allowed in this area by drawing only.
Corps efforts to
improve wildlife habitat and hunting success include the management of
19 wildlife openings around the project. These wildlife openings are
planted and maintained to improve habitat for deer and turkey as well as
benefit small game and non-game species. Four of these openings are
managed as public dove fields. Another tool the Corps uses to benefit
wildlife is through pine thinning operations around the project.
Thinning practices along with the reforestation effort that includes
planting hardwoods, promotes a healthy and diverse forest. The Corps
also maintains 70 wood duck and 40 blue bird boxes around the project to
provide adequate nesting.
All Corps land, except
for developed recreation areas, is open to hunting provided all state
game laws are observed. The Corps does manage some archery only areas
available to the public. In South Carolina there are four areas the
Corps has designated as archery only. These are SC River below the dam,
Weldon Island (closed campground), Glenn Ferry (closed
campground), and Choestoea. In Georgia there are two areas the
Corps has designated as archery only. These are Georgia River/Quarry
area and Paynes Creek Campground (after Sept. 9th). For
a complete set of
Hunting Maps are available. The SC
River and Georgia River/Quarry area require a permit that is available
from the Hartwell Project Office. This permit is free and must be
obtained in person.
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FISHERIES MANAGEMENT
The purpose of the Corps of Engineers' fisheries management program is
to help maintain a quality sport-fish population for the enjoyment of
present and future fishermen. Corps of Engineers’ management activities
are coordinated with state, fishery agencies of both Georgia and South
Carolina. During each spawning season, the Corps closely monitors lake
temperatures and levels. Bass and crappie spawn in the spring when water
temperatures approach 70°F, which at Hartwell Lake generally occurs
during the third week in April. Because the fish spawn in shallow water,
1 - 8 feet deep, special care has to be taken to make sure that lake
levels do not fluctuate too much and leave the eggs stranded. Therefore,
from the time surface water temperatures reach 65°F until three weeks
after the temperatures reach 70°F, Corps field personnel work with the
Savannah District Hydropower Branch to keep the lake levels from
fluctuating more than 6 inches. These efforts ensure that the bass and
crappie will have the best conditions in which to reproduce.
Approximately every 5 years, the Georgia Department of Natural
Resources, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, and the
Corps of Engineers conduct a cooperative program to sample fish
populations. All fish sampled are separated according to species and
length and then weighed. With this data, estimates are made as to the
number and types of fish per acre, the relative spawning success, the
predator-to- prey relationship, and the general health of the total fish
population. Fishery managers then use this information to decide on
future stocking rates. In addition to this large survey, bass
tournaments are randomly checked for the purpose of determining general
population conditions.
To monitor water quality for both fish and public recreation, the Corps
has established seven water quality sampling stations around the lake.
In addition, a continuously recording, electronic sampling station has
been installed downstream from the dam.
The Corps, in cooperation with the South Carolina
Department of Natural Resources, refurbishes fish attractor sites in
Hartwell Lake with used Christmas trees from the after Christmas
collection program. Trees are weighted with cement blocks and sunk at
locations marked with buoys. A map showing fish attractor sites is
available from the Hartwell Lake Office.
The sunken trees increase protective cover for both young and adult fish
and help to concentrate catchable-sized fish for the public. Also, the
decomposition of the trees helps in the production of phytoplankton,
zooplankton and algae, which provide food for small fish.
Fishing Related Links
Fishing at Hartwell
Lake
Fishing Guide for
Hartwell, Russell and Thurmond Lakes
South Carolina
Department of Natural Resources Fishing Regulations
www.dnr.state.sc.us/etc/fishing.html
Georgia Department
of Natural Resources Fishing Regulations and Information
georgiawildlife.dnr.state.ga.us/
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FORESTRY MANAGEMENT
After land was acquired for the Hartwell Project, many
pine stands were planted in the 1950’s and 1960’s on former agricultural
land surrounding the newly impounded Hartwell Lake. Over time, many of
these timber stands were not effectively managed. Pine stands were not
always thinned at appropriate intervals to ensure growth and vigor and
improve species diversity. As a result of the combined effect of these
relatively large, dense stands on poor, highly erodible soils, many such
areas are highly susceptible to harmful insects and tree diseases. In
recent years, the Corps has begun to transition these pure pine stands
to more resilient and diverse stands dominated by hardwoods.
Due to the limited
amount of public land surrounding Hartwell Lake and considerable private
development immediately adjacent to public lands, extensive forest
management activities are somewhat limited. The goals of the Hartwell
Project forest management program is to proactively manage timber
resources, where feasible on larger tracts of public land, to promote
the health, vigor, and diversity of project forests to support
recreation and wildlife management programs, protect and improve water
quality, improve public use and enjoyment of public lands, and provide a
sustained yield of forestry products. To help accomplish this goal,
following any harvest operation, a diversity of hardwoods and pines are
re-planted to ensure a transition from pure pine stands to diverse,
aesthetically pleasing forests, sustainable in the future.
In areas where narrow shoreline buffer
strips exist between adjacent private development and the lake, it is
neither wise nor practicable to intensively manage forest resources. In
these areas, the Corps works closely with adjacent landowners to
facilitate safe shoreline access by adjacent residents while minimizing
impacts to the resource. Through permits, adjacent landowners may be
authorized to conduct limited underbrushing on public land and cut
dead/diseased trees. In addition, open areas are planted with a diverse
mixture of trees to re-establish beneficial vegetation. The ultimate
goal is to provide safe access to the shoreline while maintaining a
healthy stand of natural vegetation, which is critical to the health and
beauty of the Hartwell Project.
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AQUATIC PLANT MANAGEMENT -
at
Hartwell, Richard B. Russell, and J. Strom Thurmond Lakes
Aquatic plants are an important component of an aquatic ecosystem,
providing habitat for fish and waterfowl. However, when fast-growing
plant species become well established, they can reach nuisance levels.
This occurs when aquatic plants impact common uses of an impoundment
such as hydropower production, recreation, or navigation. Management of
aquatic vegetation is necessary to maintain the value of multiple uses
in many large reservoirs where nuisance levels of aquatic plants have
been reached. An example of a nuisance aquatic plant in our area is
Hydrilla verticillata, commonly referred to as hydrilla.
Hydrilla is native to Africa and is considered a noxious aquatic weed
throughout much of the United States. This is due to the plant’s fast
growth rate and ability to spread rapidly, often reaching nuisance
levels that can require costly management and negatively impact
reservoir purposes. Hydrilla often forms dense mats on the water
surface, which limits shoreline uses by swimmers, bank fishermen, and
boaters.
Hydrilla has not been located in Hartwell and Richard B. Russell Lakes.
However, in late 1995, 55 acres of hydrilla were located in J. Strom
Thurmond Lake (hydrilla has also been located in the Duke Power
Company’s Keowee Lake which is located upstream of Hartwell Lake). In
spite of aggressive aquatic herbicide treatments at Thurmond Lake, the
known distribution of hydrilla has increased to approximately 4,985
acres.
At Thurmond Lake, hydrilla is present along approximately 305 miles of
shoreline in Georgia and 105 miles of shoreline in South Carolina.
Hydrilla can be found in areas of suitable substrate throughout Little
River, GA, from the confluence of the Savannah River to upstream of
Raysville Campground, including most tributaries. Along the Savannah
River portion of the lake, hydrilla is present from Thurmond Dam to
Elijah Clark State Park in Georgia and from the dam to Plum Branch Yacht
Club in South Carolina. The known distribution of hydrilla has affected
between 3 - 4 percent of Thurmond's 71,100-acre reservoir.
Fortunately in Thurmond Lake, hydrilla has not caused some of the
problems associated with shallow lakes in the Southeast where it is
present. The primary reason is that Thurmond Lake is relatively deep,
with an average depth of 36 feet. Hydrilla typically cannot grow in
waters greater than 20 feet. Second, most of the hydrilla present in the
lake is the monoecious variety, which grows laterally along the lake
bottom for most of the growing season before growing up to the surface
in late August and September. It is estimated that 20 - 30 percent of
the lake may eventually be affected by hydrilla. The effects will be
most noticeable in the larger, shallow coves.
In response to the presence of hydrilla in Thurmond Lake as well as
other aquatic plants of concern in Hartwell Lake, Richard B. Russell
Lake, and the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam, the Aquatic Plant
Management Plan (APMP) for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah
District Water Resources Projects was prepared in 1998. The APMP was
coordinated with numerous state, federal, and local interests. The plan
established treatment priorities based on impacts to authorized project
purposes, funding, treatments by others, and environmental impacts.
Treatment plans are prepared in January, based on plant distribution the
previous summer and estimated funding. The plans are revised during the
summer to reflect changes in plant abundance and available funding.
It is the goal of the aquatic plant management program to minimize
impacts to authorized project purposes caused by nuisance levels of
aquatic vegetation. However, all programs must compete for limited
funding. Therefore, the Army Corps of Engineers will not be able to
treat all areas where aquatic vegetation reaches nuisance levels.
Furthermore, as stewards of taxpayer money, it is understood that the
benefits derived from treatment should exceed the cost of treatment. It
is imperative that strong partnerships with state agencies, county
governments, and private concessionaires be formed in order to meet
public use demands.
Why Manage It?
Hydrilla is expected to eventually migrate to all areas of suitable
habitat within Thurmond Lake. Up to 20% to 30% of the lake’s surface
area could be affected.
Efforts to eradicate hydrilla in other large Southeastern U.S. lakes
have proved ineffective and expensive. The Corps of Engineers at J.
Strom Thurmond Lake will treat or allow others (permit required) to
treat hydrilla with herbicides in areas of high public use. Such areas
include shorelines around recreation areas, campgrounds, boat ramps,
private docks, and municipal water intakes.
Adjoining property owners at J. Strom Thurmond Lake may treat hydrilla
around their docks provided they obtain a permit from the J. Strom
Thurmond Project Office. There is no charge for the permit. An
individual who is licensed by the state in the aquatic herbicide
category must apply the herbicide. Permits are not required for the
cutting and removing of aquatic vegetation from around private boat
docks and single lane boat channels if work is accomplished with hand
tools only.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Help prevent the spread of aquatic plants! Hydrilla and other
aquatic plants are often transported unintentionally when boats are
towed from one lake to another. Boaters are reminded to make sure their
boat, boat trailer, and live well are free of aquatic plants before
leaving the launching area of any lake. Place any plants you remove into
a garbage container. DO NOT put them back into the lake. NEVER
intentionally plant hydrilla or other nuisance aquatic plants in any
waters. By doing these simple things, you can help protect the lakes you
use and the aquatic resources within them. Please help ensure the
quality of our lakes for future generations.
Learn more about nuisance aquatic plants! There are
numerous other aquatic plants that have the potential to negatively
impact our lakes if they are accidentally introduced. These plants
include water hyacinth, eurasian watermilfoil, water lettus, and giant
salvinia.
For more information on aquatic plants
visit the following web sites:
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ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Like private companies, state agencies, and local governments, the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must follow the numerous public laws
which safeguard the environment. Programs and trained personnel
are in place to assure compliance with these laws. Prior to any
ground disturbing activity at Hartwell Lake, Richard B. Russell,
and J. Strom Thurmond Lakes, endangered species surveys, wetlands
delineation, and cultural resources surveys are conducted. When
concerns are identified, plans are modified to reduce or eliminate
possible environmental impacts. For new undertakings not covered
by the existing Environmental Impact Statement and Master Plan,
either an Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact
Statement is prepared as appropriate.
Over the past 10 years, numerous changes have been made within the
powerplant to reduce environmental concerns. Environmental
friendly cleaners and lubricants are being used whenever possible.
Controls are in place to reduce the potential of a lubricant spill
into the Savannah River below the dam. Finally, whenever hazardous
materials must be disposed of, it is done so in accordance with
all federal and state laws.
The public is encouraged to take an active role in environmental
stewardship at the lake during each and every visit by protecting
the land and water from trash, grey water, and other pollutants.
Groups and individuals are welcome to volunteer in a variety of
capacities to assist in the care of the many resources at the
lakes. Annual lake clean-ups take place each August - September at
Hartwell, Richard B. Russell and J. Strom Thurmond Lakes. To reach
the Volunteer Coordinators call the appropriate lake office.
Link to
Hartwell and Thurmond Environmental Policy (EMS)
