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Lake History:
Then and now
Earth embankment, dam
construction
This view of the South Carolina embankment of the
Hartwell Dam site (Fig. 1) is from November 22nd, 1955. Engineers
are completing the earth embankments on both sides of the Savannah
River which will eventually link up with the concrete dam that will
be constructed in the future. One of the reasons this spot was
chosen for the dam was the topography of the landscape here narrowed
enough to create shallow escarpments on both sides of the river
which were ideal for a dam.
Three and a half years later on June 10, 1959 (Fig.
2) you again see across the open space to the South Carolina side of
the dam site. A partially constructed concrete dam is literally
rising up from the middle of the Savannah River. The Georgia and
South Carolina earth embankments have been completed and await dirt
to be built up against both ends of the concrete dam. The concrete
batching and mixing plant is seen at right background. Sluice
conduits on three of the base blocks are allowing the Savannah River
to continue flowing downstream to Clarks Hill Lake.
Nearly a year and a half has passed (Fig. 3) and on
October 12, 1960 the concrete dam is complete and the earth
embankments on both the Georgia and South Carolina sides nestle
comfortably next to the dam. With the concrete blocks now spanning
the entire width of the Savannah River, only the sluice conduits
allow water to continue flowing downstream. For some time now the
river has overflowed its banks ever so slightly creating a shallow
reservoir nearly a mile long. The gates of the intake will not
officially be closed for another four months. At that time
impoundment of the river will force the reservoir to swell to a
50,000-acre lake.
On July 31, 1962 (Fig. 4) the Hartwell Lake is seen
at normal pool of elevation 660.0. The meandering river and
undulating land seen behind the dam for many years during its
construction have now disappeared. Even during extreme drought
conditions only a small portion of the land behind the dam will
become visible again. The stark contrast between the four
photographs shows the tremendous amount of work that was necessary
to create a huge dam for all to enjoy. This is the image most
people today have of Hartwell Lake. So the next time you are on or
near the lake and look out over this vast recreational vista
remember these images of how it came to be.
 Fig.
1: Both the Georgia and South Carolina earth embankments are under
construction.
 Fig.
2: Concrete dam construction is well under way as the block
infrastructure spans the Savannah River.
 Fig.
3: The concrete portion of the dam is finished and the earth
embankments are nestled up against the ends of the dam.
 Fig.
4: Hartwell Lake is fully formed 15 months after the gates of the
intake were officially closed to create the lake. Nearly all the
work completed on the upstream side of the dam has disappeared.
 David Coughlin is researching
and preparing to write a book about the history of Hartwell Lake and
its dam. For more information visit
www.hartwelllakehistory.com.
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