MONCKS CORNER, S.C. — Santee Cooper announced Monday that it is increasing its rate of spill from the Santee Spillway at the Santee Dam on Lake Marion to 97,000 cubic feet of water per second (cfs) — or approximately 725,000 gallons of water per second.
Prolonged rainfall throughout its watershed, combined with spilling operations from upstream reservoirs, has brought increased inflows to the Santee Cooper Lakes system, spokesperson Nicole Aiello stated.
Santee Cooper initiated the current spill on Dec. 25, 2015, at a rate of 20,000 cfs and steadily increased the volume to 50,000 cfs by Dec. 28. Releases into the Santee River were brought to 75,000 cfs on Dec. 31.
The 3,400-foot Santee Spillway is part of 40 miles of dams and dikes that surround lakes Marion and Moultrie. Santee Cooper is releasing water through 14 of the Spillway’s 62 gates. Spilling is a normal part of Santee Cooper’s hydroelectric operations in periods of escalated inflows into lakes Marion and Moultrie. Santee Cooper’s dams and dikes are secure.
The Santee Cooper Lakes are part of a 15,000 square-mile watershed that stretches into North Carolina. It’s the second largest watershed east of the Mississippi River.
Spilling will continue until further notice, and developments will be noted on Santee Cooper’s Facebook page and Twitter feed. Information will also be updated each business day on the lakes information line: 1-800-92LAKES.
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