<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4JbQpL_1EzYAbPe00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4JbQpL_1EzYAbPe00" width="1200" height="600" >ANDERSON, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - For Jeff Collins, buying a home on Lake Hartwell was supposed to be about retirement, family and having the lake right outside his door.Now, his dock sits over dry lakebed.Collins said he and his wife bought their Lake Hartwell home six years ago after retiring and moving from Simpsonville. They have five grandchildren and regularly used the lake for recreation.But Collins said he has not had water at his dock since October 2025. Instead of walking from his home to his boat, Collins now has to trailer it to a public boat ramp.“It takes a good hour to trailer it there,” Collins said. “We have to pay to put it in. And then we have to take it out when we’re done and trailer it back.”The low water is also affecting Collins’ property value. He recently had his home appraised, and says its value has dropped by about $200,000.“I was furious,” Collins said. “We’re retired and we bought this for our retirement and pleasure.”The water levels are expected to remain a concern as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers addresses a problem with the Clemson Lower Diversion Dam Saddle Dike.The Corps says seepage through the natural ground underneath the dike is causing erosion and creating voids in its foundation. Officials say there is no immediate danger to the public, but the problem could worsen if left unaddressed. To reduce pressure on the dike, the Corps is lowering Lake Hartwell’s normal operating level to 656 feet above mean sea level year-round. The lake is currently below that level because of drought conditions, so officials say the restriction will not immediately lower the water further. The Corps plans to keep the lake below a maximum elevation of 662 feet during periods of heavy rainfall and manage releases from Hartwell Dam to bring the level back down when necessary. The restriction will remain in place while the Corps develops a permanent engineering solution. The agency says a formal Dam Safety Modification Study will evaluate options for addressing the dike. The study can take up to two years, with design, funding approval and construction potentially taking five years or more. For Collins, that timeline is difficult to accept.He said he understands the Corps’ concerns about the dike but questions why it could take years to resolve the problem.“If we’d have known this was going to be the situation six years ago, we’d have never bought this house,” Collins said.The Corps said the issue has been a recurring challenge since 2015 and that it is taking proactive steps to reduce the risk while working toward a permanent fix. For Collins, the frustration is simple.“We just really want water,” he said. Feel more informed, prepared, and connected with FOX Carolina. For more free content like this, download our apps.</div></body>

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ANDERSON, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - For Jeff Collins, buying a home on Lake Hartwell was supposed to be about retirement, family and having the lake right outside his door. Now, his dock sits over dry lakebed. Collins said he and his wife bought their Lake Hartwell home six years ago...

Lake house gone dry

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ANDERSON, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - For Jeff Collins, buying a home on Lake Hartwell was supposed to be about retirement, family and having the lake right outs

Lake house gone dry

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