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Residents urge county help to treat expanding algae outbreak on Lake Wateree
Summary
Members of the Lake Wateree Association told Fairfield County Council that an invasive algal mat is spreading in shallow coves, urging support for an initial treatment estimated at $120,000–$150,000 and participation in an April funding workshop.
Lake Wateree property owners and association leaders told the Fairfield County Council on March 2025 that a fast‑spreading algal mat is making docks unusable, harming fish and posing health risks, and asked the county to help coordinate funding and stakeholders for treatment.
Rod Wilkes, first vice chair of the Lake Wateree Association, described the growth as "a mat of just growth, kinda slimy" that appears in warm, shallow, nutrient‑rich water near docks and can make waterfront property "almost unusable." He said the association has been surveying the lake to locate infestations and working with volunteer surveyors to map sites that need treatment.
"If you can catch this early, you can remediate it," Randy Kelly, chair of the association’s water‑watch committee, told the council. Kelly said a retired Clemson University professor, identified in the presentation as Dr. Rogers, has volunteered to advise the association and that the group has arranged to use an experienced applicator and the Catawba‑Wateree Water Management Group for financial administration.
The presenters gave cost estimates and program details. They said the initial treatment is expected to cost between $120,000 and $150,000, with an ongoing annual program consisting of six monthly treatments (April through September). The organizers said they are seeking about $30,000 from each county involved in the lake basin as part of the first‑year funding plan and that Lancaster County has agreed to participate in planning. Kelly and Wilkes asked council members to attend a funding workshop tentatively scheduled for April (the date was described as tentative).
Presenters said treatment would use a targeted, copper‑based chemical applied by airboat or shallow‑water equipment to place product a few inches above the lake bottom where the algae mat grows. Kelly described applicator techniques, volunteer survey work and prior examples: Lake Norman’s early treatment program, he said, costs roughly $60,000 a year, while Lake Gaston’s multi‑county program has required substantially larger, multi‑year funding commitments. The speakers emphasized that early action is less expensive and more likely to contain the problem than waiting until the infestation expands.
Council members did not take formal action during the meeting but were invited to the funding workshop. The association asked county officials to participate in planning and to consider potential funding or coordination roles.
Organizers said volunteers are conducting the survey work and that planned professional follow‑up will use sonar and applicator crews to pinpoint and treat sites. Presenters cautioned that the algae can cause skin irritation and advised that pets should not ingest the material.
The association requested the county’s involvement in the April funding meeting and will provide invitations to county staff and council members when details are finalized.
