APPLING, Georgia (WRDW/WAGT) – Water levels at Clarks Hill Lake are dropping even as Tropical Storm Debby brought heavy rains and flooding to parts of the region.

But the lake was missed.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has already activated its drought plan as part of its water conservation efforts.

Despite plenty of rainfall, Debby narrowly missed our local lakes, causing Clarks Hill Lake’s water level to drop 5 feet, much faster than normal this time of year.

When water levels are lower than expected, there are more obstacles on the water to watch out for.

Sea Tow Captain Jon Gridley is on the water every day.

He says that a lot of problems are starting to arise at work.

“Every other call we get right now is about a stranding. Someone has gotten into a shoal or shallow area, or their boats are stuck on the beach because the water level dropped overnight,” Gridley said.

Gridley says with water levels so low, boaters are at greater risk of getting into danger.

“They were stuck there and there was no moon. It was pitch black and you couldn’t see anything. I couldn’t tell which way the boat had run aground,” Gridley said.

Shoals, tree stumps and sandbanks cause significant damage to boats.

Tony Turner, service manager at Clarks Hill Marina, said: “On this one, someone drove into a rock or a tree stump and a piece of the blade was torn off.”

The Army Corps of Engineers is trying to control the lake’s water levels by reducing water discharge at the Thurmond Dam.

However, this comes at the cost of limiting hydropower production under the contracts.

Meanwhile, Gridley is urging people to be more cautious before it’s too late.

“I’ve been on strandings where people were seriously injured. And when you got to the boat, it looked like a crime scene,” he said.

Gridley advises people to pay close attention to their maps and follow the buoys in the water to know how to avoid the shallow water.

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