Despite Rain, Southeastern Drought Far From Over

A good soaking rain shower this weekend may be nice, but it's not as helpful as you might think.

Low lake levels will keep boat access ramps closed in the near future. Duke Energy is also urging people not to loosen up on water conservation.

Andy Thompson with Duke Energy said often people see rain and think the drought must be over. He cautions that's far from reality.

"We start to think that things are better, I can back off, I can use more water than I once did. But that's exactly the kind of behavior we want people to avoid," he said.

Boater Mike Allman lives on Lake Wylie, and he said he’s starting to see the water come back up over the last three weeks, thanks to rainfall.

He's optimistic, but said he can't forget just how bad 2007 has been.

"I've got 12 feet of shoreline I can see and walk on. Back eight months ago I was fishing in it, so it's kind of scary," he said.

Duke Energy said boat ramps will only be reopened when the water rises to the level where it's safe to put a boat in. Officials can't simply go by lake levels as an indicator but must inspect each access ramp before giving it the green light.

Thompson said each ramp is somewhat different in how it enters the water and that's a key factor.

"Safety has to be our No. 1 concern," he said. “We don't know how much rain we're going to get, but we wouldn't open any boat ramp unless we know it's safe."

Duke Energy said the Charlotte area is about 20 inches short in rainfall for 2007. The area has had the worst and fastest-developing drought ever, taking only nine months to reach record levels.

DROUGHT: Check Local Lake Levels