About Lake Wylie

Location:

Lake Wylie stretches 32 miles from the Mountain Island Dam in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina to the Wylie Dam in York County, South Carolina.

It is a popular recreation area for Charlotte, North Carolina residents, as well as for residents of Fort Mill and Rock Hill in South Carolina. Six boat access areas -one each leased to Mecklenburg and York counties - are provided by Duke Energy. In addition, the public enjoys lake access at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens and the McDowell Nature Preserve.

Click here for a map. For additional relocation information, you can also contact the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County or York County Chambers of Commerce.

At a Glance:

• 325 miles of shoreline along the borders of both North and South Carolina
• 12,455 surface acres of water
• 94 feet deep at maximum depth (the average depth is 23 feet)
• Actively governed by the Lake Wylie Marine Commission

History:

• 1904: Catawba Power Company, co-founded by Dr. Walker Gill Wylie and his brother in 1900, erects a dam and hydro-electric power station on the Catawba River at India Hook, South Carolina. Catawba Lake, with a surface area of 668 acres, is created.
• 1905: Catawba Power Company becomes part of Southern Power Company, which receives substantial investment from James Buchanan Duke. The company is later known as Duke Power Company.
• 1924: Southern Power Company raises the dam and builds a new hydro-electric station. Surface area of the lake increased to over 13,400 acres.
• 1960: The Catawba Dam and Catawba Lake are renamed Wylie Dam and Lake Wylie after the original founder of Catawba Power Company.
• 1987: Joint actions by the Gaston and Mecklenburg County governments in North Carolina and the York County Government in South Carolina create the Lake Wylie Marine Commission. The Commission governs all activity on the surface of the lake and the full-pond shoreline out to 1,000 feet. Seven members - two from each county in continual appointments, and a rotating 3rd member from a represented county - serve three year terms. Its mission is to preserve and protect water quality and shoreline, promote public education and safety, and to protect wildlife and the environment.