If the first three days in August are any indication, things could be looking up for the Savannah River Basin.

Last month, on the other hand, the only reason to look up was in a fit of frustration. Russell’s take was especially bleak, netting only 2.2 inches compared to its 4.3 inch average. Hartwell and Thurmond each received 3.1 inches, just 60 and 71 percent of their monthly averages, respectively.

It has definitely been worse: A dozen or more times in the last 68 years the sub-basins have received less than they did last month, including in 1980 when Thurmond got a paltry 1.4 inches, and a six-year dry spell from 2006-11 when Hartwell couldn’t hurdle the 3-inch mark.

The interesting thing about last month’s numbers is that rain did fall, but it either missed the mark or was just plain mist.

For instance, here’s Hartwell’s Doppler estimate by the hour in July. The chart itself looks green, indicating rainfall, but the overwhelming majority of the values is four hundredths of an inch or less. Thurmond painted a similar picture with its Doppler estimate.

Another noteworthy trend is the manner in which the sub-basins are underperforming this year. Thurmond, aka Mr. Consistency, has reached between 71-79 percent of its average each month since April, whereas Hartwell took a stepped approach: progressively notching its way toward the average every three months before plunging back to 20-30 percent.

August, though, could be another story. In just three days, Hartwell has already received more than half the rainfall it received in June, which had a similar average as August (4.8 vs. 4.9 inches). Likewise, Russell equaled its June total of 1.4 inches in just 3 days. Meanwhile, Mr. Consistency (Thurmond), with 1 inch, is still plugging away.

~ Jeremy S. Buddemeier, Corporate Communications Office

In an effort to keep state waterways safe during the upcoming July Fourth holiday weekend and beyond, the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Law Enforcement Division will again be conducting courtesy safety inspections at some public boat landings. The July Fourth holiday weekend, July 2-4, is one of the busiest weekends of the year on state waters.

DNR boating safety and enforcement officers will perform a quick, but thorough inspection for items such as required safety equipment and proper boat and motor registration. Those who are not in compliance with safety regulations or registration requirements will not be ticketed during the complimentary inspections. Instead, they will be given an opportunity to correct the problem before they launch their boat. DNR officers will also be available to answer questions and give boaters tips on how to stay safe on the water.

To report boating violations such as reckless operation or an intoxicated boat operator, call the DNR toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-922-5431. For a copy of South Carolina’s boating regulations, to find out about local boating safety courses or to obtain a free float plan form, contact the DNR Boating Safety Office at 1-800-277-4301 or visithttp://www.dnr.sc.gov/education/boated.html.

Courtesy boat inspections July 2, July 3 and July 4 will be held at the following locations:

July 2:

• Anderson County: Riverfork Forks Boat Ramp-Lake Hartwell; 2pm-4pm
• Beaufort County: Lemon Island Landing (Edgar Glenn) – Chechesse River; 10am-12pm
• Berkeley County: Cypress Gardens Landing (Dunham Creek) – Dunham Creek; 10am-12pm
• Charleston County: Isle of Palms Landing – Morgan Creek; 10am-12pm
• Charleston County: Wappoo Cut Landing – ICW south of Charleston Harbor; 10am-12pm
• Clarendon County: Alex Harvin Landing – Lake Marion; 10am-12pm
• Darlington County: Easterling Landing – Lake Robinson; 11am-1pm
• Dorchester County: Herbert H. Jessen Landing – Ashley River; 10am-12pm
• Georgetown County: Carroll A. Campbell Landing – Sampit River; 10am-12pm
• Horry County: Johnny Causey Landing – ICW at Little River; 10am-12pm
• Kershaw County: Clearwater Cove Landing – Lake Wateree; 10am-12pm
• Lexington County: Lake Murray Dam – Lake Murray; 10am-12pm
• McCormick County: Dorn Landing-Lake Thurmond; 10am-12pm
• Newberry County: Billy Dreher Island – Lake Murray; 10am-12pm
• Oconee County: South Cove Park-Lake Keowee; 10am-12pm
• Pickens County: Twelve Mile Park-Lake Hartwell; 10am-12pm
• York County: Ebenezer Park Landing – Lake Wylie; 10am-12pm

Some 780,000 striped bass and 480,000 hybrid bass–a total of about 1.2 million fish–were stocked in Lake Hartwell during the past three weeks by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.

Some 20,000 striped bass fingerlings were placed into Lake Hartwell June 3 at Green Pond Landing and Event Center in Anderson County as part of an overall S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) stocking program that annually produces between nine and 12 million fish that are released into public waterways.

The striped bass fingerlings stocked into Lake Hartwell are around 1.5 to 2 inches long, and they can be expected to reach a catchable size in two to three years. The fish were produced at the Dennis Wildlife Center Fish Hatchery in Bonneau. All of the striped bass stocked in Hartwell are the Savannah River Strain, which is a genetically distinct strain that originated in the Savannah River drainage.

“The products of these hatcheries go into public waters to support sportfishing in South Carolina,” said Dan Rankin, DNR Upstate regional fisheries biologist based in Clemson. “We have species that we are able to provide fishing opportunities for in some areas of the state that would not be available were it not for the hatchery program and the fish that come out of our production facilities. For instance, in addition to stripers, we would have a very limited trout fishery in South Carolina were it not for the hatchery program.”

The DNR hatchery program includes five warmwater hatcheries around the state, and a coldwater trout hatchery located near Walhalla in the Upstate. In addition to striped and hybrid bass, the DNR’s hatchery program produces rainbow, brook, and brown trout; largemouth, white and smallmouth bass; bluegill, redear (shellcrackers) and redbreast sunfish; crappie; channel and blue catfish; and robust redhorse. Hatchery-reared fish are stocked in the state’s rivers, major impoundments and smaller DNR-managed fishing lakes. The goal is to provide South Carolina’s citizens and visitors with the best recreational fishing opportunity possible while protecting and conserving our aquatic resources.

Recreational fishing is a multi-million dollar economic driver for South Carolina. Anglers spend more than $680 million in the Palmetto State annually, according to a national survey conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s part of an estimated $2 billion total, spent on wildlife-related recreation in South Carolina each year.