General Information
Below are a few important reminders for those that own property adjacent to SJWD’s property at Lyman Lake.
SJWD Property and Permitted Privately-Owned Structures:
SJWD owns the property around Lyman Lake up to the 850.2ft contour. Through a permitting process, SJWD does allow adjacent property owners to have privately-owned structures (existing boathouses, docks, etc.) on SJWD’s property. The conditions, specs, and guidelines for structures allowed can be found in the SJWD’s Policies and Procedures Governing Water Supply Reservoirs (https://www.sjwd.com/pdf/LakePolicies.pdf). SJWD does not allow the construction of new permanent structures (boathouses and docks built on piers); however, during the construction of the new spillway, the SJWD Board of Commissioners issued a policy directive that clarified the allowance of existing permanent structures to remain if they are properly repaired and maintained. That being said, due to the inevitability of fluctuating lake levels and the inherent risks related to permanent structures, SJWD has strongly encouraged adjacent property owners that do have existing permanent structures to transition to floating structures.
Lake Water Levels:
During normal operations, normal pool in the lake is around 843 ft above mean sea level (MSL). During a weather event, many factors like total rainfall, intensity of the rainfall (inches per hour), where the rainfall occurs, current soil saturation levels, current lake water level, current river flows, etc. can and do affect how the lake reacts to each specific event. While we understand that fluctuating water levels can be frustrating to property owners, especially those with permanent (non-floating) structures, SJWD does not guarantee any specific maximum or minimum lake water level during any specific weather event. That being said, we do monitor weather events (especially major events like tropical storms, etc.) that can cause severe flooding. When enough certainty and advanced notice is known AND when it is possible, we do sometimes adjust to release additional water. However, we take special care when making this decision because we do not want to adversely affect water quantity or quality downstream due to the additional water being released. We have previously recommended, and will continue to recommend, that adjacent property owners monitor the weather, consider its potential and sometimes unpredictable impacts, and take any necessary precautions to protect structures they have on SJWD’s property.
Hydraulic Capacity of the New Spillway: During the permitting process for the replacement of the damaged spillway, SJWD was required by SCDHEC to design the spillway with the same hydraulic capacity as the previous spillway. This means that, while it is newer and more reliable, it can still only pass the same amount of water as the old spillway. In short, the new spillway was not built to prevent lake water levels from rising – it was built to more reliably handle the water when it is required to pass that amount of water.
Please remember, while we all want to enjoy the aesthetic and recreational benefits the lake can provide, for the past 25 years Lyman Lake has served as the main raw water source for SJWD (which now includes approximately 30,000 residences and 1,500 businesses). Consequently, there are many factors that must be considered when making decisions relative to the operation of the lake. Thank you for your understanding.
Here are the latest communications and updates for Lyman Lake residents: