The Lake Hartwell region abounds in historical lore, much of it
inherited from the Cherokee Indians who once roamed here and
from the early settlers who pioneered the area. Many local
streams, rivers and recreation areas bear colorful Indian
names. Some streams allegedly were named by Issaqueena, a young
Indian maiden who rode to Fort Ninety-Six to warn settlers of
an impending attack. On her journey, she marked her travel by
naming the streams that she encountered for the number of miles
she had covered. The story of Issaqueena accounts for the names
of Six-Mile, Twelve-Mile, Twenty-Three Mile and Twenty-Six Mile
creeks which are part of the lake today.
Before and during the Revolutionary War, the region was a
hotbed of anti-British activity. Nancy Hart, for whom Hart
County, Ga., Hartwell, Ga., and Hartwell Dam and Lake
subsequently were named, was renowned for her heroic exploits
on behalf of the Patriot cause.
Hartwell Dam is located on the Savannah River, 89 miles above
Augusta, 67 miles above Thurmond Dam and 7.1 miles below
confluence of Senaca and Tugaloo Rivers. The lake was designed
and built for flood control and to provide a constant supply of
water for all those downstream on the Savanah River. The dam is
also used as a hydroelectric facility to generate power during
peak demand times, thus helping to give local residents low
cost electricity.
The Hartwell Dam was built as a result of the U.S. Army 2nd
Corps of Engineers Flood Control Project. The entire project
comprised 76,450 acres of land and water and cost over $89
million. The Hartwell Dam was constructed from 1955 and 1963 as
part of a flood control and hydropower project, . The dam was
built as a result of the U.S. Army 2nd Corps of Engineers Flood
Control Project. The Lake Hartwell Power plant is a “peaking
power plant” - this means that power is not constantly
generated. Instead, power is generated at times when
electricity is in the greatest demand. The dam rises 204 feet
above the streambed. Extending 49 miles up the Tugaloo and 45
miles up the Seneca at normal pool elevation, Lake Hartwell
covers nearly 56,000 acres of water with a shoreline of 962
miles.
Lake
Hartwell Dam is built of more than 880,000 cubic yards of
concrete (enough to build a sidewalk from the dam to San
Francisco) and more than 3 million pounds of reinforcing steel.
The depth of the lake behind the dam is approximately 180 feet.
The top of the dam is 204 feet above the Savannah River Bed.
The Hartwell Dam and Lake has prevented over $13.7 million in
flood damages since 1962.
Geographically, Hartwell Lake is located in the upper Piedmont
although its northern reaches extend into the foothills of the
Blue Ridge Mountains. Because of this location, there are wide
differences in soil, terrain, climate, and vegetation resulting
in highly diverse wildlife habitats. These include aquatic,
marsh, old field, pine-hardwood, and mixed pine-hardwood
habitats which are the home for over 250 species of birds, 40
species of mammals, and numerous aquatic, reptilian, and
amphibian species.
At Hartwell Lake there are approximately 25 species of birds
and several species of mammals that use tree cavities for
nesting sties. However, there is a shortage of these sites
because many snags and dead trees have to be cut down for
safety purposes. To offset this shortage, the Corps has erected
more than 125 nesting boxes in selected locations around the
lake. These artificial cavities are used by bluebirds, screech
owls, chickadees, wood ducks, flying squirrels and many other
species.
The lake is located in two states, Georgia and South Carolina,
involving 6 counties Hart, Franklin, Stephens Anderson,
Oconee, and Pickens Counties.
