SPARTANBURG, SC (FOX Carolina) – The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says the unintended draining of Lake Edwin Johnson has killed all fish in the lake and it will remain closed until the summer of 2024.
According to the DNR, the drainage failure occurred when the dam and its water control structure were undergoing extensive renovation to significantly improve the safety and resilience of the dam.
Officials said the water level had been planned to be lowered by about 10 feet to allow for the construction of the dam, but on August 8, the faulty system resulted in the complete draining of the lake, killing fish. .
DNR officials said a valve in the dam was fully open and they did not rule out an act of vandalism.
“Despite the setbacks, SCDNR remains committed to maintaining Edwin Johnson Lake as a highly productive fishery for South Carolina anglers,” said Ross Self, SCDNR’s Director of Freshwater Fisheries. “The dam rehabilitation is expected to be completed by the end of fall 2022, at which point we will focus our efforts on re-stocking the lake with sea bream, sea bass and catfish.”
The 40-acre public fishing lake will reopen July 1, 2024, and offers fishing opportunities for bigmouth bass, bluegill, shellcracker and catfish.
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