Drought Creates Challenging Boating Conditions

By Jon Show – As Lake Norman heads into another busy summer boating season, local officers are urging residents and visitors to slow down and rethink how they navigate a lake transformed by unusually low water levels.

Despite recent rain events, water levels on Lake Norman have been three to four feet below target level and five to six feet below full pond. The last time levels were in that range during the summer months was 2002 and 2007, and the historic summer low of 89.9 feet was recorded in 1970.

Officer Scott Minderlein with the Cornelius Police Department lake patrol said the conditions are exposing hazards many boaters have never seen before.

“Lake Norman is a completely different lake during these drought conditions,” Minderlein said. “Areas that were previously safe to navigate are no longer safe.”

The Cornelius Police Department received 24 calls in early May to assist boats that ran aground, particularly near islands and shoal markers where underwater hazards are now much closer to the surface. That compares with an average summer rate of fewer than five calls per month.

Minderlein said boaters should give docks and islands even more room than state law requires. While North Carolina law generally requires operators to stay at least 100 to 150 feet away from certain areas, Minderlein recommends increasing that distance whenever possible.

“If it says 150 feet, make it 250,” he said.

He emphasized caution near islands, especially point-to-point islands that may be navigable during higher water conditions, as well as areas near or between shoal signs.

Minderlein repeatedly said speed is one of the biggest dangers on the water this summer, especially at night or in unfamiliar coves. Running aground at slow speeds may damage a boat, he said, but high-speed incidents can throw passengers into the water or cause serious injuries.

“If you’re going to be out at night and you hit anything going slow, at worst, you’re going to bounce off it,” Minderlein said. “If you hit it fast, that’s when we have catastrophic things happen.”

The low lake levels have also exacerbated concerns about what lies beneath the water. Minderlein said boaters have reported unexpected shallow spots and submerged objects in areas that are normally safe.

“When Lake Norman was flooded, who knows what was left under it?” he said.

The department is also reminding boaters about alcohol laws many people may not realize exist. Beer and wine are generally allowed on boats, but open bottles of liquor are prohibited unless the vessel includes sleeping quarters and kitchen facilities.

“On a regular wake boat, if you had a bottle of vodka, that’s illegal,” Minderlein said.

With thousands of renters and inexperienced boaters expected on the lake this summer, Minderlein encouraged anyone unfamiliar with boating to seek help before heading out.

“If you’re going to rent a boat, at least do your boater safety education online,” he said.

In addition to online education, another resource for boaters is the Joshua Murray Boating, Safety, Education and Awareness Center, which launched two years ago and has become a hub for boating safety education on Lake Norman.

Located in the building near the Blythe Landing boat launch, the facility was created to provide a dedicated space focused on public boating safety in response to increased lake fatalities.

During the summer months, the center distributes free boating safety materials and educational resources aimed at reducing accidents on the lake. Walk-up assistance is also available on weekends or by contacting the Cornelius Police Department in advance.

Officers said the goal is to provide practical instruction for both new and experienced boaters alike.

“Knowledge is power,” Minderlein said. “If you don’t have any knowledge, if you don’t have any training on what you’re doing, and then you’re out here on the water? That’s just a recipe for disaster.”

“People are like, ‘I know Lake Norman.’ Well, you don’t know it like this.”