Lake Marion (South Carolina)
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| Lake Marion | |
|---|---|
| Location | Orangeburg County, South Carolina |
| Coordinates | |
| Lake type | reservoir |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 110,000 acres (45,000 ha) |
Lake Marion is the largest lake in South Carolina, with a 315-mile (507 km) shoreline and covering nearly 110,000 acres (450 km²) of land.
Contents |
[edit] Location
Located in five of South Carolina's counties including: Berkeley, Calhoun, Clarendon, Orangeburg, and Sumter.
Public access is provided through several public boat ramps, Santee State Park, and the Santee National Wildlife Refuge. Interstate 95 crosses this man-made lake near the Town of Santee.
[edit] Origin
Lake Marion was created in the early 1940s as part of the Santee Cooper Hydroelectric and Navigation Project. The lake is fed by many tributaries including Wyboo Creek and the Santee River, and also by numerous springs including Eutaw Springs.
The lake is named for the Revolutionary War General Francis Marion, whose home, Pond Bluff, was one of those flooded when the lake was created.
[edit] Wildlife
Lake Marion is known for its big fish and abundant wildlife. The state fishing record for Largemouth Bass (16.2 Ibs) is held in this lake.[1] Other fish that abound are Striped bass, Trout, White Perch, White bass, Crappie, Channel catfish, Arkansas Blue Catfish, Shellcrackers,Bream and Chain (Jack). Other wildlife that call Lake Marion home include deer, fox, squirrel, turtle, dove, turkey, alligator and various species of duck, hawk, eagle, egret and osprey.
Conditions vary from shallow swamps and blackwater ponds to vast open water with a multitude of underwater structures. Lake Marion was not completely cleared when it was created, and as a result, there are thousands of stumps, standing dead tree trunks and live cypress trees.
