In August 2025, South Carolina's Department of Environmental Services treated about 102 acres of Lake Murray with herbicide over two days, aiming at pondweed and hydrilla. Two weeks earlier, it had stocked 5,000 grass carp. In 2026 the agency applied no herbicide to the lake and stocked 2,650 carp.
The tool still in play is the one now showing on every shoreline from Saluda County's Lake Murray Shores to the dam. Dominion Energy is lowering the lake to about 350 feet. SCDES lists the winter drawdown as one of only two strategies in use on Lake Murray this year. Drawdowns like this come every few years. This one is doing more of the work than usual, and how it goes helps decide what the coves look like next summer.
Two Summers of Weed Control, Side by Side
The figures below come from the SCDES invasive species management page, which keeps 2025 and 2026 records on the same page.
| Tool | 2025 on Lake Murray | 2026 on Lake Murray |
|---|---|---|
| Herbicide | About 102 acres treated Aug. 5–6, aimed at pondweed and hydrilla | Proposed treatment canceled, none applied |
| Grass carp | 5,000 stocked July 23 | 2,650 stocked |
| Winter drawdown | Not listed | Lake lowered to about 350 feet |
The cancellation notice gives no reason tied to a single cove or utility. It does say SCDES and Dominion Lake Management will work together this winter on a management plan that can "provide relief from problematic vegetation while accommodating existing drinking water intakes." Until that plan is published, the low water and the carp are the whole program.
The Coves That Were on the 2026 List
SCDES distributed fact sheets the week of June 29 for three treatment areas. Each sheet was dated July 6 and set a treatment window of July 27 to 29. If your dock sits in one of these areas, these are the plants that were expected to be treated this summer and weren't:
- Johnson Marina Road: in-water treatment aimed at pondweed.
- Old Lexington Highway: the coves on either side of the road, aimed at pondweed.
- Crockett Road: the cove between Rocky Point Drive and Crockett Road, aimed at water primrose along with pondweed.
The sheets show why drinking water keeps coming up. One of the planned herbicides, Aquathol K, carries a 600-foot drinking-water setback. SCDES wrote that it had checked with Columbia Water, which confirmed that its Lake Murray Water Treatment Plant intake sat outside that distance. The plan for next year has to meet that same constraint. A drawdown doesn't put anything into the water, so it avoids the constraint entirely.
How Far the Water Has to Fall
Dominion announced the drawdown on Sept. 9 and began lowering the lake that month. These are the milestones the company has set:
- December 2026: the lake reaches about 350 feet.
- Through the end of January 2027: the lake holds at that level, during the months most likely to bring freezing nights.
- Late spring 2027: the lake returns to its normal summer level of 358 feet, depending on rainfall and river flows.
Holding the low level through January is deliberate. In its announcement, Dominion Energy explained that the plants causing trouble grow in shallow coves, and lowering the lake leaves them exposed to dry air and freezing temperatures. SCDES describes the same effect from the lake bottom up: the drawdown will "help dry out and freeze some of the plant material in the lake substrate."
The lake had a head start. WLTX reported that a dry summer had already left it around 356 feet, so it needed to drop about 6 more feet. On Oct. 19, Dominion's Lake Murray page showed 355.6 feet. The page updates continuously and is the quickest way to check how far your own cove has dropped. The last time the lake reached 350 feet was January 2023.
The Window for Dock and Wall Work
The same exposed shoreline that freezes the weeds also lets crews reach docks and walls that are usually underwater. In the drawdown announcement, Dominion vice president of power generation Iris Griffin said the drawdown "also gives lake residents and businesses an opportunity to perform maintenance and repairs on their private docks or shorelines."
Norman Agnew, owner of Agnew Lake Service, told WLTX how this works in practice. His crews mostly use floating equipment that motors up to a dock, and they can switch to machines that drive across the exposed lake bottom. He also put the event in context:
"You know, a 350 drawdown is something that is semi-common. I would say it's something that happens every three to five years...it's pretty regular, but it's not something that happens all the time."
If the next 350-foot drawdown is three to five years away, the time to inspect pilings, wall footings or a ramp is between now and the end of January. Dominion's Lake Murray page carries resident permit information for docks, boat ramps, retaining walls and similar shoreline projects. Dominion Lake Management can be reached at 803-217-9221. This post is general information, not legal advice, so confirm what your specific project requires with Dominion and a qualified contractor before work starts.
Anyone still boating will find the same lower water in shallower coves and inlets. Dominion urges extra caution. Agnew told WLTX that hazards normally covered by deeper water "are going to be... more exposed and therefore need to have more care while you're operating."
The Spirit of Lake Murray Moves Out for the Season
The best-known boat on the lake has to leave its home dock this winter. Agnew is also a partner in the Spirit of Lake Murray. He told WLTX that its permanent spot at Agnew Lake Service is "too shallow there at 350 contour for us to stay there." The boat's ticket listings still show 216 Shadowood Drive in Irmo as its home port, so confirm the departure point with the operator before you go.
The cruise schedule continues through the low-water months:
- Oct. 30: Live Music Cruise
- Oct. 31: Halloween Party
- Nov. 1–29: Fall Colors cruises on multiple dates
- Nov. 5–13: Friendsgiving cruises
- Nov. 19–20: Tacos Before Turkey
- Nov. 24–25: Super Moon Cruise
- Nov. 21 through May 4, 2027: History Cruises
- Dec. 3–27: Lights on the Lake
- Dec. 5: Christmas Parade Cruise, which the listing says will lead the lake's Christmas boat parade
- Dec. 31: New Year's Eve cruise
The Dec. 5 date comes from the Spirit's own listing. Lake Murray Country organized the Christmas Light Boat Parade in 2023 and named Lake Murray Dam Public Park as the viewing site, so check with the organizer for this year's parade details. On land, Dreher Island State Park holds its Boo Bash on Saturday, Oct. 31. According to Lake Murray Country's guide, it includes pumpkin painting, costume contests, a marshmallow roast and campsite decorating.
A New Rule at the Dam That Outlasts the Drawdown
One change near the dam stays after the water comes back up. On Aug. 13, Dominion announced that it had finished restoring the five intake towers, work that began in January 2024. A 200-foot exclusion zone now surrounds the towers permanently. Watercraft are not allowed inside the buoys, and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources enforces the boundary. In that same release, Dominion said the upper parking lot at Lake Murray Public Park on the Lexington side would stay closed for several months while crews removed a temporary loading structure, a floating dock and other equipment. Dominion also said the Saluda Hydro facility will keep operating normally throughout the drawdown, WLTX reported.
The next decision for the coves will be made while the lake sits at its lowest. SCDES and Dominion Lake Management are writing next year's vegetation plan this winter, at the same time the drawdown runs. Residents near Johnson Marina Road, Old Lexington Highway and Crockett Road can use the SCDES contact request form to reach SCDES about treatment information.
If the lower water has you thinking about your dock, your shoreline wall or what the drawdown means for a lake home you own or hope to own, I'm happy to talk it through. At Alivia Cavanaugh Real Estate, I follow how changes like this affect life on Lake Murray. Let's Connect.
