Hey, this is Chels with Lake Norman Mike Company, and I never want you to wonder why is my boat on the beach?
So let’s talk about that.
Lake Norman’s water levels are controlled by Duke Energy via a dam. So, the water level in our lake can fluctuate and drop by almost eight feet every year. When we’re at full pond, this means the water level is at one hundred feet elevation to the 760 line. The 760 line represents the full pond level that water should never get any higher than.
Why is this important?
When you’re looking to buy a waterfront property on Lake Norman, you want to take water level fluctuation into consideration along with water depth at your dock and also what type of boat you have. If you have a pontoon boat, for example, you won’t need as much water depth as a Wakeboard boat would need. In addition to that, if you’re going to put your boat on a lift, you’ll need at least three to four feet underwater for that lift to lower into so you can get your boat out.
I want to show you what I’m talking about when I’m talking about measuring the level of water at your dock.
So, you might think I want to measure the level of the lake back here, because that’s where my motor is and that’s what’s going in the water. But, really, you should be measuring at this end, especially if you have a lift, because the hoist is going to need to go down. So, back here, we’ve got about 12 feet of water to work with so the lake levels drop by about five feet. You still got seven feet of water to work with, for your lift to lower down it into. Now, if this water were, let’s say, eight feet, the levels dropped five feet. What does that mean for you? It means I’m out there wakeboarding and you’re right here waving at me from your dock.
As you can see, it can be a sad day if you buy your lake house with a dock that’s not in enough water for what you need. This is where Mike and I can guide you. In our next edition, we’ll talk about why our lake levels fluctuate so much.
So, stay tuned.
