Ramsey Creek Beach Opening Delayed

Swimming area at Ramsey Creek

The beach at Ramsey Creek Park will not open as scheduled for Memorial Day weekend because of ongoing drought conditions.

“Despite recent rainfall, the water level at the swimming area and beach is too low for guests to safely use,” Mecklenburg County, which operates the park, said in a statement. The county added that its parks department staff will evaluate conditions “regularly to determine when it is safe to open to guests.”

Ramsey Creek boat launch

The swim area includes a sand beach with swim boundaries, but the water’s edge is currently beyond those boundaries.

Ramsey Creek beach is normally open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.

The park’s boat launch is still open for use, though only about 15 feet of the ramps are under water.

Dry spell

According to Duke Energy, which monitors lake levels, Lake Norman is currently at 94.5% of full pond. The target level during the summer months is 98.5%, and 95% is considered the minimum level.

The lowest recorded level for Lake Norman in the past five years was 94.1% in November 2023. The historic low, according to data on Duke Energy’s website, was 93.1% in 2007.

On May 1, the Catawba-Wateree River Basin entered Stage 2 of the Low Inflow Protocol because of significantly below-average rainfall over the past several months and very low streamflow.

According to RainDrop, which tracks precipitation by ZIP code, Cornelius has received 9.57 inches of rain this year — more than 6 inches below average. The shortfall worsens in the northern rain sheds that flow into the Catawba River.