The three-year drought has at times pushed many South Carolina lakes to their lowest points in 40 years. And while the water levels are up after recent rains, the joy of fuller lakes is tempered by predictions of a hot, dry summer and by the scars of the past three years that still show around the state. Between Charleston and Columbia, Lakes Marion and Moultrie are nearly back to normal. That's good news for 90,000 utility customers who rely on the lakes for their drinking water, but the damage to area businesses may be hard to undo. People hear about things.
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Lake Murray, South Carolina's centerpiece near the capital of Columbia, remained about 10 feet below normal for most of last year. Business at Lake Murray Marina was down, but repairs were up as propellers snarled on stumps and boats ran aground in normally deep channels. The problems started nearly four years ago, when rains slacked off in the northern part of the state. Without the mountain rains, downstream lakes slowly dried up. Areas around Greenville are as much as 40 inches below normal rainfall since 1998.