Financial Advantage w/ Douglas Marion – Fall Preparation: Back-to-School Tips
- The Financial Advantage
Ever wondered what “Full Pond” means? Well, if you live near Lake Norman in North Carolina, you’re probably familiar with this term. Let’s break it down.
“Full Pond” refers to Lake Norman’s highest water level. Duke Energy manages the lake and controls its water levels using a dam. This means the lake’s water can change, sometimes dropping by as much as eight feet yearly.
When Lake Norman is at “Full Pond,” it means the water level has reached 100 feet in elevation. There’s a line called the 760 line, which marks the highest point the water should ever reach. Beyond this line, there’s a risk of flooding.
When Lake Norman was created, it covered a lot of land. Imagine: roads, bridges, and even parts of a highway disappeared underwater! Some of these old roads crisscrossed the area that’s now the lake. Workers had to mark off the flood zone with stakes to keep everyone safe.
The old Buffalo Shoals bridge to the north and the North Carolina 73 bridge to the south were in the way. Engineers had to devise solutions. The main river crossing to the north, the Buffalo Shoals bridge, was removed and replaced with the new Concrete bridge yards to the north.
The army core engineers had a bit more fun with the southern crossing. The old North Carolina 73 bridge was in the heart of the floodplain. Department of Transportation would have to reroute it south of the Cowans Ford. The original highway is the current Bethel Church Road. Instead of simply dismantling the old steel bridge, the army used it for a training exercise. In early July 1962, the engineers planted explosives and blew up the bridge, sending the steel skeleton and concrete pillars crashing into the water. Today, they rest at the lake bottom, along with, according to local legend, the rusted-out shell of the 1950 Lincoln.
My wife attended Bethel Presbyterian Church on Bethel Church Road. Old Highway 73 was the route to Lincolinton, where her Mom’s family lived. They had to cross the Catawba River on the bridge to visit her family. Hearing that the army planned to blow up the bridge, she remembers, as a seven-year-old, fearing that she may be crossing the bridge when it exploded.
But there was one problem they couldn’t just move – a part of Highway 21. This highway was super important, connecting Virginia to the Midwest. Engineers had to get creative. They scooped up a million cubic yards of dirt to make a causeway. This causeway raised the highway above the 760 elevation mark, preventing it from flooding.
Here’s a cool fact: Lake Norman isn’t just one big lake because of that causeway. Two smaller lakes, Lake Cornelius and Lake Davison, are also created on the west side of Highway 21. A concrete tunnel underneath the highway connects them to the main lake. If you’re feeling adventurous (though it’s not exactly legal), you can even canoe between these lakes when the water levels are low.
So, “Full Pond” isn’t just about the water level. It’s about the history, engineering, and even the legends that make Lake Norman special.
As mentioned, LKNConnect.com aims to report the history of “Life Before The Lake.” We will be researching the past of the towns around the lake and would like to hear from you about your family’s history of the area.
I have lived in Huntersville my entire life. We actually trace my family’s history back for eight generations. When folks hear this, they ask, “What was life like before the lake?” That question inspired me to research the history of the area. This new feature is the result of those questions. I plan to write many articles about “Life Before The Lake” and post them on www.Lknconnect.com’s website.
Information for this article came from several sources. One was Chuck McShane’s book A History of Lake Norman, published by The History Press, Charleston, SC 29403, Copyright, 2014. The other source was from Cindy Jacobs’ book, Images of America, Around Lake Norman, published by Arcada Publishing, Charleston, SC Copywrite, 2008
Photos were Courtesy of Duke Power
Follow LKNConnect.com for future short articles from these books, or they can be ordered from your favorite online bookstore.
