WELCOME TO HYCO LAKE, NC

 

 
General/History
Hyco Lake (also known as Carolina Power Lake) was constructed in the early 60's by Carolina Power  and Light Company as a cooling reservoir for their steam electric generating plant.  Hyco Lake is located in Person County, NC 10 miles west of Roxboro, NC on NC Highway 57.  Since its establishment the lake and its recreation park has been under the jurisdiction of the Person-Caswell Lake Authority which is responsible for governing and developing the recreation potential of the lake and park.  The water is regulating by the N.C. Natural Resources.  CP&L owns the land the lake is contained by and up to the 420' mark.

The lake covers 3,750 acres (25 billion gallons of water!) with 160 miles of shoreline. The lake was filled in the Spring of 65 after Hurricane Hilda dumped her bounty and has provided exceptional outdoor recreational opportunities which continue to delight residents and visitors alike.   The lake was constructed on the Hyco River and has 3 main tributaries, North Hyco Creek, South Hyco Creek and Cobbs Creek.

Over 1000 homes have been constructed around the lake, many are occupied year round.
Boating and Swimming
Several dual concrete boat ramps offer easy launching from the recreation park located off Kelley Brewer Road.  Boardwalks and piers also aid in launching and a graveled parking area is lighted and policed.  Boat permits ($45 annual and $15 daily) are required for all boats using the lake. A ski course is located on the north east end of the lake.

The park offers a nice swim area and numerous docks to tie your boat to. The swim area is unattended and closes at sunset.

Covered boat/camper storage areas are available.
Camping
There are 60 camp sites located within the 65 acre recreation park.  Each site is located on an access road and has a natural buffer on three sides.  A picnic table, charcoal grill, water and electricity are available to each site.  The campground has a centralized bath house (very clean) with showers and flush toilets.  Playgrounds for the children and tennis courts for the adults are located next to the camp sites.  Pets must be leashed.  Vending machines are available 24 hours a day April through September.  Other food items, fishing supplies, and water front gasoline can be purchased within walking distance of the campground and less than 1 mile from the launch ramps.
Picnicking
There are picnic tables and charcoal grills located around the park shoreline.  Four large covered shelters with grills are available by reservations made with the Lake Warden at 336-599-4343.   There are no charges, other than gate admission, for using the tables and shelters.   These facilities offer great views of the lake.  Don't miss the view from the observation deck!  A new community house has been added which is an excellent facility for large meetings and social functions.  Kitchen, baths, full decks and HVAC insures your comfort.  There are also day cabins available for rent on the point at the public access area.
Fishing
Fisher people, the park is equipped with an electric gate and access is available 24 hours a day.  Fishing on Hyco is great (lots of Bass and Crappie). Numerous fishing tournaments are held throughout the year.   The warm water discharged by the power plant insures year round fishing opportunities.

In the past, there have been some fish that suffered from lower levels of oxygen.  This usually happens during July when the sun is the hottest and rain is infrequent.  The water stratifies during this time with the hot water rising to the top thus creating a buffer layer.  When it rains, the oxygen saturated water falls on top of the hot layer and then travels down to a lower layer thus taking the oxygen down to the fish who have gone deep to seek colder water.  Aeration and cooling of the water is beneficial to the fish during these times.
Natural Beauty
Enjoy the water side view of the many beautiful homes on the lake or find a deserted cove to anchor and relax.  Large areas of the shoreline are undeveloped and offer exceptional views throughout the year.   Watch for the many deer, beaver, geese, and ducks which make the lake their home.  There is also a nature/walking trail located near the ranger's office.  The head-end is accessed from the fisherman's parking lot - look for the covered entry point marking the starting point.  Many gazebos are located along the path and nature points are marked.                                                                               
Lake Level - and Canal System
There are many misconceptions about how the lake level is controlled and what the canal system function is/was.  The lake is impounded by an earthen dam near McGhee's Mill area.  There is a concrete spillway that water overflows at elevation 410.5'.  This is called normal lake level.  There are no valves or gates on the main lake that control the level. When there is rain or the incoming creeks provide more water than needed, the water flows over the spillway.  The power plant is a closed system so it only uses the lake for make-up water and cooling.  The cooling tower vapor you see is water evaporating as the plant steam is condensed back to water.  The two systems are separated by a heat exchanger called a condenser.  Lake water used for cooling units 1&2 circulate via a intake canal near Whetstone and discharge heated water near the islands where North and South Hyco meet near the plant. There is a Hal-Bunger valve located at the spillway that can allow a small amount of water to by-pass the spillway.  This hasn't been opened in years.  The Afterbay is located below the main lake and is used to maintain downstream river flow for Hyco River.  The level of the lake declines during the summer due to reduced stream flow coming into the lake, increased evaporation by the plant cooling towers and higher plant load during the summer months - no one is releasing water from the lake  during this time.  When there is excessive rain, the level rises above normal (410.5') as the water is "bottle-necked" at the spillway.  The level will return to normal as soon as the spillway dissipates the water without any human intervention.

The canal system is no longer used as this was an early attempt to utilize long flow paths to cool the water before it re-entered the plant condensers.  This was before the plant had cooling towers which eventually retired the canal system.  CP&L is required by regulations to release the water at a minimum rate in cubic feet per minute and within a few degrees of the temperature of the incoming water.  This all occurs at the Afterbay.  The water temperature discharged by the plant normally gains about 20-25 degrees from the intake point to the discharge point.  This is why you can swim early and late in the year near the plant.  There is an "inverted siphon" located under the no wake area area where you go from South Hyco near the island.  The siphon carried warm water from the canal to Cobb's Creek area but is no longer used.  This is why you see a chain link fence atop this rock dam.  The water flowed backwards up Cobb's Creek and traveled through the canal near the public area into North Hyco.  This caused severe heating of the water and thank goodness is no longer used.
"Take nothing but pictures.  Leave nothing but footprints"