Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes are located downstream of Fishing Creek Lake in Chester, Lancaster, and Fairfield counties, South Carolina. Great Falls Lake has a surface area of about 477 acres and about 20 shoreline miles at a full pond elevation of 355.8 feet msl. Rocky Creek Lake has a surface area of about 847 acres and about 20 shoreline miles at full pond elevation of 284.4 feet msl. See Table 4.9-1 for the shoreline classification for Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes.

There are two developed Duke Power owned public recreation access locations on Rocky Creek Lake and no public access to Great Falls Lake (see Figure 4.9-1). There are no public commercial non-residential or commercial residential marinas, and no private piers on Great Falls or Rocky Creek Lakes.

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Existing Duke-Owned Public Access Areas

The developed Duke-owned public access areas provide 21.3 acres and about 2,046 feet of shoreline frontage of public access on Rocky Creek Lake and none on Great Falls Lake. Combined, the developed access areas have 2 public boat ramps and about 43 parking spaces. Table 4.9-2 summarizes the facilities at the public access areas.

Click Here to View Full Figure 4.9-1 Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes Public Recreation Access Areas

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Site Specific Descriptions of Existing Duke-owned Public Access Areas at
Rocky Creek Lake

The following section provides a description of each Duke-owned public access area on Rocky Creek Lake (there are no Duke-owned public access areas on Great Falls Lake), including a photograph, site characterisitics, site recreation facilities, and key recreation activities.

Stumpy Pond Access Area

The Stumpy Pond access area is located in the lower portion of Rocky Creek Lake along the eastern shoreline, in Lancaster County, South Carolina. Table 4.9-3 summarizes key site characteristics for the Stumpy Pond access area.

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Debutary Creek Access Area

The Debutary Creek access area is located in the lower portion of Rocky Creek Lake in Fairfield County, South Carolina. Table 4.9-4 summarizes key site characteristics for the Debutary Creek access area.

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Recreation Use

Visitation at the public access areas on Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes was derived based on estimates of the traffic entering the Duke-owned public access areas. Total estimated visitation during the 1999 study period for Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes at these sites was about 23,447 visits. Figure 4.9-4 shows the distribution of the visitation for each month at Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes for the Duke-owned public access areas during the 1999 study period. A visit is considered a vehicle or vehicle/trailer entering the site for any part of a day.

Table 4.9-5 provides a summary of the estimated recreation visitation based on the traffic counter data for the sampled sites during the 1999 study period. There are no private piers on Great Falls or Rocky Creek Lakes. Therefore, the total visitation estimate is based on the visitation at the public access areas that was estimated at 23,447 visits.

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Spot counts were conducted at two sites for Rocky Creek Lake, Debutary, and Stumpy Pond Access areas. Table 4.9-6 lists the number of sample days per month for the spot count data collection.

The total number of surveys received for each survey is listed in Table 4.9-7. Survey D was conducted of marina operators, therefore numbers of surveys sent and received were low. Figure 4.9-5 shows the distribution of recreation activity type for Survey C. No respondents to Surveys A (there are no residences on either lake) and B provided any comments on Great Falls or Rocky Creek Lakes. Figure 4.9-6 shows the distribution of recreation activity type combining data from Surveys C, spot counts and tailrace counts. Based on the combined data sources, the primary recreation activities for Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes during the 1999 study period were boat fishing and bank/pier fishing. No respondents indicated they recreated on the islands. For Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes, the average party size (average number of recreators in each party) for respondents to Survey C was 2.5 people. The average length of stay for Survey C respondents was 4.7 hours, and the average number of visits was 26.4 annually.

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Table 4.9-8 summarizes the perceived crowding ratings for Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes for Survey C responses. Recreators on Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes indicated that weekday and weekend crowding was low-range (on a scale of 1 to 5). There were no Survey D responses to the crowding ratings on Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes. The lake rescue and management groups were asked for crowding ratings only for the higher use lakes within the Catawba-Wateree system, including James, Hickory, Norman , Wylie and Wateree.

*Weighted Average

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Boating Use

Figure 4.9-7 shows the distribution of boating activity type for Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes based on Survey C comparing the percentage of each boating activity type to the overall boating use. The average boating party size was 2.4 for Survey C. The average number of hours boating was 4.5 hours for Survey C. Of the individuals surveyed who primarily recreated on Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes, 83 percent of the Survey C respondents (n=12) owned boats.

Table 4.9-9 summarizes the distribution of boat ownership by type of boat for Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes based on Survey C data (n=12) (no Survey A or Survey B data were received). Motor boats comprised about 53 percent of the boat ownership, compared to the other boat categories, followed by jet skis at about 18 percent. The ownership of motor boat types was about 18 percent small motor boats (ranging 20 feet or less in size) and about 35 percent medium motor boats (ranging between 21 to 40 feet in size).

Figure 4.9-8 shows the period of the day the respondents indicated they primarily boated, for Survey C. For Survey C about 1.5 percent of the respondents launched boats at Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes compared to the other lakes within the Catawba-Wateree system.

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The overall boat carrying capacity is assessed based on the peak boating use estimates obtained during the aerial flyovers in the 1999 study period. The available boating acreage was adjusted from the base boats per acreage estimate (see Table 4.9-10) by the following factors (Warren and Rea, 1989):

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Table 4.9-11 summarizes the assessment of the allowable overall boat capacity based on the usable water surface acreage and the boating activity mix identified from the surveys. Because no respondents commenting on the Great Falls Lakes for Surveys A and B, the percent usage distribution values were substituted from Mountain Island Lake. Table 4.9-12 provides the assessment of the percent capacity of the boat use for Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes on the peak day during the 1999 study period. Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes during the weekday was estimated at 2 percent capacity, during the weekend at 6 percent capacity, and during the peak holiday period at 8 percent capacity for overall boating use.

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The overall boat carrying capacity assessment provides an assessment of the total surface area for available boating use. To assess the areas of the lakes with higher density of boating use, the general location of boating activity was recorded during the aerial flyovers for each day of aerial coverage. Figure 4.9-9 shows the location of boats during the peak use day for Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes. Figure 4.9-10 shows the boating density on Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes for the peak use day and areas with the greatest clustering of boating activity occurred. Figure 4.9-11 shows the boat density map based on the composite of the four highest boating use days. This figure shows the areas with the most boating use during the peak use days during the study period and provides an assessment of areas with high density boating during the study period.

Click Here to View Full Figure 4.9-9 Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes Peak Use Day Boat Counts

Click Here to View Full Figure 4.9-10 Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes Peak Use Day Boat Density Map

Click Here to View Full Figure 4.9-11 Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes Composite Peak Use Boat Density Map

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Great Falls Lake and Rocky Creek Lake Estimated Future Recreational Demand

Table 4.9-13 provides the population projections for the counties within 50-60 miles of Great Falls Lake and Rocky Creek Lake reservoir. Population projections were conducted for the impact zone using a combination of 1970 - 1990 population data and 2000 and 2010 population projections from U.S. Census Bureau data; these figures were projected through the year 2050.

Table 4.9-14 provides the estimated recreational use for the impact zone through the year 2050. Current use estimates are based on spot counts and responses to surveys. The recreational use projections were estimated by computing the projected population increase for the impact zone and incorporating indexed values for future recreational use for the various activities. The index values for each activity were obtained from "Outdoor Recreation in American Life: A National Assessment of Demand and Supply Trends" (Cordell, 1999). The indices are based on models that incorporate a number of variables, including age structure of the population, income, race, sex, and population density, as well as other explanatory variables. Full model parameters and estimates are available from the author.

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Table 4.9-15 shows the estimated absorption percentage for the four major recreation activities that require specific lands and facilities. Picnicking, swimming, camping, and boating are activities that require specific developed facilities. The other activities listed are dispersed activities that can take place at a variety of undeveloped areas. The estimated 1999 use levels are from Table 4.9-14. The estimated demand is based on the impact zone population (population of all counties within 50-60 miles of the lake). The impact zone population is multiplied by the participation rate for the activity, which was obtained from "Emerging Markets for Outdoor Recreation in the United States: Based on the National Survey on Recreation and the Environment" by H. Ken Cordell, et al. Participation rates are for the South and are similar to 1995 North Carolina SCORP data. Specific participation rates are as follows: swimming, 37.3%; picnicking, 44.8%; camping, 22.4%; boating, 45.0%. The product of the impact zone population and participation rates are then multiplied by the estimated of number of days of participation for each activity, which were obtained from the 1995 North Carolina SCORP. The 1999 estimated number of participants for each activity was then divided by the 1999 estimated demand to obtain the estimated absorption percentage. Absorption percentage is defined as the percent of total demand for the impact zone that is met by the individual lake.

Table 4.9-16 provides the estimate of the recreational facilities land acreage needed to meet the future recreational demand through the year 2050. The weighted population is the estimated impact zone population multiplied by the participation rate for each activity. The facility standards and estimated acreage needs for the facility class are based on State SCORPS and FERC Guidelines for Outdoor Recreational Facilities. The facility need is the total facility need for the impact zone based on the weighted population and the facility standards. The total facility need is then multiplied by the absorption percentage to determine the facility need for Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes. The acreage needs are then based on the Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes facility need multiplied by per unit acreage needs that are based on State SCORPS and FERC Guidelines for Outdoor Recreation Facilities. Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes are relatively remote areas that offer a more primitive experience. The number of roads that access areas near the shoreline is low, especially on the eastern side of the lake. The lakes receive relatively low levels of use for most activities and no camping occurs. More than one-quarter of the shoreline has been set aside for future public recreation. It would be anticipated that much of this land would remain in an undeveloped state to be used by the public for activities such as bank fishing that do not require large scale facilities. For Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes, it is estimated that 2 acres are required to accommodate future recreational facilities demand through the year 2050. This includes 0 acres of beaches, 1 acres of picnic areas, 0 acres of campsites, and 1 acre of boat ramps.

The estimated acreage needs for the reservoir are total usable acreage needs. Usable land acreage at existing recreational facilities can be counted toward meeting these needs. Duke Power sites, county and state parks, and other private and public agencies will meet these needs. There are a number of state and county parks that are located on lands leased from Duke Power. These areas are not included in the discussion, as Duke Power owned access areas. Duke Power is expected to meet a portion of the future recreational land needs. The entire estimated need will be met by a combination of opportunities from all sources.

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For Rocky Creek Lake, the most frequently identified recreational facility needs mentioned were for picnic tables and better boat ramps. Duke Power does not propose to install picnic tables at either of the sites because of the potential vandalism that could occur at unsupervised access areas. Duke Power has planned for the improvement of the Stumpy Pond access area during the next five-year period. In addition Duke Power relocated the Debutary boat ramp because of silting problems at the old ramp location.

*Boating Activities

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Recreators were asked in the surveys if the existing recreational facilities within the Catawba-Wateree system met their recreational needs. For Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes comments were only received from Survey C respondents. As indicated previously, no comments were received from Survey A and Survey B respondents regarding Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes. For Survey C respondents (n=12), 100 percent of the respondents stated that the existing facilities met their needs. In response to whether additional boating facilities were needed, 100 percent of the Survey C respondents (n=12), felt that the existing boating facilities were adequate.

No respondents to Survey C indicated they had a negative experience while recreating at Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes. Only 8 percent (one individual) of the respondents for Survey C (n=12) indicated they had felt jeopardized while recreating, and that was the result of the recreator almost hitting a downed tree when boating. The only additional comment was to add more picnic areas. When asked if they could change one thing, respondents to Survey C stated they would like to see more rest room facilities, better boat ramps, more parking areas, and more trash and litter pick-up. No comments were received from Surveys D and E regarding Great Falls and Rocky Creek Lakes.