Lake Moultrie Water Level
Lake Moultrie is at 72.85 ft today (Oct 6), 2.65 ft below its 75.5 ft full pool, up 0.03 ft this week.
South Carolina · Cooper River
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Water level history
About Lake Moultrie
Lake Moultrie is a reservoir on the Cooper River in South Carolina, operated by Santee Cooper. Its full summer pool sits at 75.5 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from USGS gauge 02172000 and update every 15 to 60 minutes.
Understanding Lake Moultrie's water level
Lake Moultrie is the lower of the two Santee Cooper lakes, and its level is mostly a decision made at the other end of the Diversion Canal. Water from the Wateree and Congaree fills Lake Marion first, then runs 7.5 miles down the canal into Moultrie. Santee Cooper does not keep a separate rule curve for Moultrie; it manages Marion to a curve that runs from just above 72 feet in winter to 75.5 feet in summer, and it moves water through the canal by changing how far Moultrie sits below Marion. Running St. Stephen Hydro harder pulls Moultrie down and speeds the flow out of Marion; cutting St. Stephen back lets Moultrie climb toward Marion. The rest leaves through Jefferies Hydro at Pinopolis Dam, whose five units total 143 megawatts and must pass at least 4,500 cubic feet per second as a weekly minimum to hold back salt water in the Cooper River. The Santee Cooper project is also the main surface water source for the Charleston region.
Construction of the Santee Cooper project began in 1939 after four years of court fights, and Jefferies, then called the Pinopolis Power Plant, first made electricity on 17 February 1942. More than 12,500 workers spent 27 months clearing swamp and woods, building dams and dikes, and relocating cemeteries. The Pinopolis Lock beside the powerhouse drops 75 feet from Lake Moultrie to the Tailrace Canal, the highest single lift lock in the world when it opened. It is 180 feet long and 60 feet wide, takes boats from 10 to 150 feet, and a trip through usually runs 20 to 45 minutes. For four decades most of the Santee flowed out this way, about 85 percent of it, averaging near 14,900 cubic feet per second, and it shoaled Charleston Harbor badly enough to need dredging every year. The Cooper River Rediversion Project, finished in 1985, cut a canal from the lake to a new powerhouse at St. Stephen and sent most of that water back to the Santee.
Because Moultrie is drawn on for power, water supply and downstream flow, dry years show up fast. In September 2007 Santee Cooper had stopped hydro generation since mid June and still found both lakes about four feet below the normal September level; General Moultrie, Thornley Forest, Russellville and White Point Beach landings closed. The lake bottomed at 66.27 feet on 27 December 2007. Floods can also pull it down on purpose. Ahead of the Helene inflows in late September 2024 the lake dropped from about 74.9 feet to 70.36 by 2 October, stranding boats along the shallows, then was back near 75 feet by mid October. In August 2026 Santee Cooper activated the first stage of its drought plan when Lake Marion fell more than 1.5 feet below its seasonal target. For anglers, SCDNR says the closure of the Lake Marion dam in 1941 trapped a founding population of striped bass that proved the species could complete its whole life cycle in fresh water, and blue and flathead catfish introduced in the mid 1960s now grow very large.
Lake Moultrie — frequently asked
What is Lake Moultrie's full pool?
This page uses 75.5 feet, the top of the summer target on the rule curve Santee Cooper uses for the lakes. The curve itself is written for Lake Marion; Moultrie has no separate curve because its level depends on how far Santee Cooper holds it below Marion to move water through the Diversion Canal. In practice Moultrie spends most summers within a few tenths of a foot of 75.5 and winters a few feet lower.
What is Lake Moultrie's record high level?
The USGS daily mean record, which starts in October 1989, peaks at 75.96 feet on 15 December 2009. Older once daily readings going back to January 1942 run a little higher, 76.62 feet on 12 September 1949 and 76.54 feet in February 1995. A reading of 78.30 feet at midnight on 21 September 1989, the hour Hurricane Hugo came ashore at Sullivan's Island, was back to 74.38 feet the next day.
What is Lake Moultrie's record low level?
Since daily mean records began in October 1989 the low is 66.27 feet on 27 December 2007, at the end of a drought that had closed four Moultrie landings that September. The older once daily USGS readings go much lower: 58.56 feet on 21 December 1951 and 59.40 feet in January 1955. The widget on this page covers only the daily mean record from 1989 on, so it does not show those earlier lows.
Why is Lake Moultrie low?
Usually because the rivers feeding Lake Marion are low. In August 2026 Santee Cooper activated the first stage of its drought plan after Marion fell more than 1.5 feet below its seasonal target, and by late September Moultrie was reading just under 73 feet. The utility can slow St. Stephen releases to let Moultrie rise, but Jefferies must still pass a weekly minimum of 4,500 cubic feet per second to keep salt water out of the Cooper River.
Are Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie at the same level?
No. They are joined by the 7.5 mile Diversion Canal, but Santee Cooper deliberately keeps Moultrie lower than Marion and changes that difference to control how much water flows between them. Raising releases at St. Stephen Hydro drops Moultrie and pulls more water out of Marion; cutting releases lets Moultrie rise toward Marion. Marion follows the rule curve and Moultrie follows Marion.
How does the Pinopolis Lock work?
The lock at Jefferies Hydro lifts or lowers boats 75 feet between Lake Moultrie and the Tailrace Canal, which leads to the Cooper River. When it opened in 1942 it was the highest single lift lock in the world. The chamber is 180 by 60 feet, takes boats 10 to 150 feet long, and a passage typically takes 20 to 45 minutes depending on the crowd.
Is Lake Moultrie known for big catfish?
Yes. The South Carolina and world record channel catfish, 58 pounds, came from Lake Moultrie in 1964, and the lake also holds the state black crappie record of 5 pounds from 1957. SCDNR says blue and flathead catfish were introduced into the Santee Cooper system in the mid 1960s and now give anglers a shot at very large fish. Shad and blueback herring also reach the lakes each spring through the St. Stephen fish lift.
Flow released below Lake Moultrie
This gauge reads the water leaving the dam, which is the number to check for fishing, paddling and downstream conditions. Live flow is tracked on riverlvl.com.
Other lakes near Lake Moultrie
- Lake MurraySC
- Lake MarionSC
- Richard B. Russell LakeGA/SC
- Lake KeoweeSC
- Lake WatereeSC
- Lake JocasseeSC
See current levels for all 11 South Carolina lakes and reservoirs →
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