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Content

Welcome!

Introduction

The calendars below describe the "recreational releases" tentatively scheduled for the Catawba River (Bridgewater) below Lake James in 2012.  Note that by passing your cursor over the colored calendar cells the release information will appear in a pop-up text window.

Gage Information

This is one of five reaches in the Catawba/Wateree river basin to which water is being returned as the result of the August, 2006 settlement agreement signed between Duke Energy and over 70 organizations, agencies, and individuals.  Two of those organizations were the Carolina Canoe Club and American Whitewater.  You are a member, right?

Notes

Although the new license for the Catawba/Wateree has not been issued yet, with one major exception, Duke is following the recreational release schedules stipulated in the Catawba/Wateree Settlement Agreement (see Appendix A, pp. 4-8 = pdf pp. 212-216).  The major exception is that there will be no Great Falls releases before a new licensing is issued and a not insignificant amount of construction work takes place.  In addition, based on paddler experience with the 2009 releases, the 6000 cfs releases below Lake Wylie will most likely be reduced to 3000 cfs.

Duke frequently releases boatable flows from thier dams for the purpose of power generation.  They post their release plans three days ahead of time on their Catawba Lakes Scheduled Flow Release page.

Shuttle Information

Boatable power generation releases occur almost daily.  Look for these releases on the Catawba Lakes Scheduled Flow Release page.  This seven mile run is has several class II rapids but is mostly class I.  It has a number of playable waves, including one park and play wave at the site of an old bridge (now gone) below Linville Dam.

2012 Lake James Recreational Release Schedule

Release Legend:

900 - 1200 cfs from 10am to 3pm900 - 1200 cfs from 4:30pm to 6:30pm

Release Calendars

April 2012
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30          
May 2012
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
    1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30 31    
June 2012
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
          1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
July 2012
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30 31        
August 2012
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
      1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31  
September 2012
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
            1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30            
October 2012
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
  1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30 31      

Release Legend:

900 - 1200 cfs from 10am to 3pm900 - 1200 cfs from 4:30pm to 6:30pm