High Rock Lake
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| Coordinates | 35 ° 37 '44 " N , 80 ° 15' 4" W | ||||||||
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| Operator: | Alcoa Company | ||||||||
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| Altitude (at congestion destination ) | 192 m | ||||||||
| Water surface | 61.43 km² | ||||||||
High Rock Lake is the northernmost lake in the Uwharrie Lakes reservoir chain and the second largest lake in the state of North Carolina after Lake Norman .
The water covers an area of 61.43 square kilometers, the shore extends over a length of 587.39 kilometers. The lake begins at the confluence of the two rivers Yadkin River and South Yadkin River . The name is based on the nearby "High Rock Mountain", the highest mountain in the Uwharrie Mountains . It serves as the border between the two counties of Davidson and Rowan as well as the generation of electricity through hydropower . The lake is managed and used by the energy supplier Alcoa .
The lake is spanned by two bridges to the north, the Interstate 85 / US Highway 52 bridge and the older bridge with which US Highway 29 / US Highway 70 and North Carolina State Route 150 cross the lake. Further bridges in the north lead the feeder to the State Route over the tributary Abbotts Creek. Railroad tracks cross the southeastern portion of High Rock Lake and Flat Swamp Creek. Several cities and towns are located on the shores of the lake, including Lexington , Salisbury , Southmont , Linwood , High Rock and Spencer .
Sport fishing
High Rock Lake has long been considered one of the best fishing lakes in North Carolina. Various fishing tournaments have been held at the lake, including the Bassmasters Classic in 1994, 1995, 1997 and 2007. Catfish species and several different sun bass species live in the lake . Striped bass , its hybrids and sea bass also occur in the lake. The lake is known for the quantity and quality of largemouth bass , which attract anglers from across the United States. This is mainly caused by the rather flat bed of the lake and the suitable habitat for perch.
Recreation area
Most of the lake shore is populated with residential areas of all income levels. All homes that have about 60 meters of shoreline and 2.5 meters of water when the water is full in the lake have the right to build a private pier . Boathouses and ramps, however, are no longer allowed, only the existing structures enjoy grandfathering . In addition, there are public boat ramps that are available for free use of the lake. Some private ramps can also be used by the public for a small fee. Due to the changing water levels in the lake, all piers are floating so that they can also be used when the water is low. There are no restrictions on the size or motorization of the watercraft on the lake; jet skis , for example, are allowed. Since the lake is first in a chain of reservoirs, the water of the lake is often dark and dirty, so swimming in High Rock Lake is not as popular as in other lakes. Camping sites are available around the lake .
The 2002 drought
Low water records in the tributaries were caused by unusually dry weather during the drought in the southern states in 2002, which resulted in extremely low water levels in High Rock Lake. These dry spells started in 1998 and repeated until 2002, the last year of this drought being the worst for the lake. With water levels well below the full capacity of the lake, the fish began to die due to overpopulation and lack of oxygen in the water. Tourism dropped massively and the population along the lake began to complain. When the level finally dropped to just under two meters above the water level of the tributaries and was thus over 7 meters below normal lake filling, the federal and state authorities closed the High Rock Dam. In doing so, they forced the subsequent reservoirs such as Badin Lake and Lake Tillery (both of which were normally filled) to take over the task of supplying the lower course of the Yadkin / Pee Dee River with water. This allowed High Rock Lake to recover to a level 5 meters below normal before the level continued to drop. In autumn 2002 the drought came to an end and after one of the wettest months the Yadkin Valley had ever seen, water levels in the region were back to normal by autumn 2003.
The 2007/2008 drought
Through March 2008, North Carolina experienced drought ranks between "Critical" and "State of Emergency," with average rainfall below the annual average for the entire state and the entire Yadkin-Peedee basin. For this reason, Alcoa keeps the water levels in the lake higher than usual at the time of year and thus prevents further lows.
During the drought in 2003, no fishing or other boats were allowed to enter the lake. The number of fish that died was estimated to be about the number that would normally have been caught. The population appears to have survived the 2007 drought without further restrictions. The fishing tournaments carried out were not hindered by any further requirements.
Hydroelectric power plant
High Rock Lake is one of the four dams that Yadkin Project dams generate hydropower for the surrounding communities. The entire project produces around 215 MW of electricity at full capacity .
Individual evidence
- ↑ North Carolina Summer Bass Fishing ( Memento of the original from July 24, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Camping in Piedmont, North Carolina ( Memento of the original from February 14, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Alcoa Power Generating Inc., Yadkin Division: Relicensing: Documents ( Memento of the original from January 31, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ US Drought Monitor - June 11, 2002
- ↑ Badin: Bulletin July 2002 ( Memento of the original from April 26, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Save High Rock Lake: Image gallery of High Rock Lake during the 2002 drought
- ↑ State Drought Monitor ( Memento of the original from August 21, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Sport fishing guidelines for North Carolina ( Memento of the original from September 25, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Alcoa Power Generating Inc., Yadkin Division: The Yadkin Project: The Value of Hydropower ( Memento of the original from March 15, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
