The Lake Murray Association was created by citizens who understood that protecting Lake Murray required an organized, independent voice representing the people who live on, work around, and enjoy the lake.
The organization’s beginnings can be traced to a large public meeting held at Dutch Fork High School in late 1993. Approximately 150 residents gathered to question representatives of South Carolina Electric & Gas Company—now Dominion Energy—about low water levels and the management of Lake Murray.
Rod Shealy, then publisher of the Lake Murray News, helped organize and publicize the meeting. After listening to residents’ concerns, he recommended forming a planning committee and creating a permanent association to represent lake users.
The group formally organized during the spring of 1994. Officers and board members were elected, bylaws were adopted, and the Lake Murray Association was chartered. The Lake Hartwell Association reportedly assisted the new organization during this process.
Bob Keener, a founding member, became the Lake Murray Association’s first president.
From the beginning, the Association’s purpose was broader than representing waterfront homeowners. Its mission was to educate and inform the public, monitor issues affecting the lake, and represent everyone who uses and benefits from Lake Murray.
That commitment led to the organization’s enduring identity: “The Voice of Lake Murray.”
The Association is now an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and preserving the environmental integrity, safety, accessibility, and responsible enjoyment of Lake Murray.
Responding to Lake-Level Concerns
Lake levels were the issue that first brought the Association’s founders together, and water management has remained a central concern throughout its history.
The Association has monitored seasonal lake levels, drought management, planned drawdowns, hydroelectric operations, recreational access, shoreline conditions, and the effects of water levels on homeowners, businesses, marinas, boaters, anglers, wildlife, and public safety.
One of the Association’s most challenging early periods came during the major drawdown associated with construction of Lake Murray’s backup dam. Beginning in 2002, SCE&G lowered the lake toward an elevation of approximately 345 feet while the dam-remediation project was underway.
The drawdown exposed tree stumps, shallow areas, underwater hazards, and large portions of the lake bed. Many docks and boat ramps became unusable. The effects extended beyond recreation, affecting waterfront property owners, marinas, businesses, tourism, and real estate activity.
Richard “Rich” Kidder, who was serving as LMA president during this period, publicly expressed the Association’s concerns about navigational safety and what members believed was insufficient advance notice of the drawdown. His advocacy reflected the role envisioned by LMA’s founders: speaking publicly when decisions affecting the lake could create consequences for its residents and users. See the WIS News report on the 2002 drawdown.
Identifying Waterfront Properties
In 1998, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and the Lexington County Marine Division approached the Lake Murray Association about creating a standardized method of identifying waterfront properties from the water.
Street addresses were frequently difficult—or impossible—for emergency responders to see from the lake. That could delay assistance to a homeowner, boater, swimmer, or passenger experiencing an emergency.
The Association responded by developing a standardized reflective aluminum dock sign displaying the property’s street address. Designed with the approval of the participating public-safety agencies, the signs are visible from the water and reflective at night.
The dock-sign program became one of LMA’s longest-running and most recognizable public-safety services. The signs continue to help law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical responders, rescue personnel, and boaters identify locations quickly during emergencies.
Following a 2022 plane crash on Lake Murray, the Association reported renewed demand for approximately 50 waterfront address signs—demonstrating the continuing importance of a program first created more than two decades earlier. See the WLTX report on waterfront address signs.
Protecting Lake Murray’s Water Quality
Protecting water quality has long been one of the Association’s principal environmental responsibilities.
In October 2002, Lake Murray residents and volunteers participated in a citizen water-monitoring effort associated with National Water Monitoring Day and the anniversary of the Clean Water Act.
Approximately 50 participants collected information from locations around the lake. At the time, Rich Kidder emphasized that preserving Lake Murray’s water quality was a primary interest of the Association.See theWIS News report on the 2002 monitoring effort.
In 2006, LMA established its continuing[Water Testing Program to monitor conditions over time and identify problems that might require education, advocacy, or corrective action.
The program has included sampling at multiple locations around the lake for:
- E. coli, an indicator of possible contamination from sewage or wastewater
- Total phosphorus, which can contribute to excessive plant and algae growth
- Changes associated with erosion, development, aquatic vegetation, and algae blooms
- Long-term environmental trends at established monitoring locations
Samples are collected under documented chain-of-custody procedures and delivered to a certified laboratory for analysis. The program provides an independent historical record of water-quality conditions and allows LMA to identify changes that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Participating in the Federal Relicensing Process
One of the Association’s most consequential responsibilities has been its participation in the federal licensing and relicensing of the Saluda Hydroelectric Project.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, commonly known as FERC, regulates the hydroelectric project that includes Lake Murray and Saluda Dam. The operating license influences lake levels, downstream flows, drought procedures, shoreline management, recreation, public access, environmental protection, aquatic habitat, and future development around the lake.
LMA participated as a stakeholder in the extensive relicensing process and was among the organizations involved in the Saluda Hydro Comprehensive Relicensing Settlement Agreement.
The Association provided input on matters including:
- Seasonal lake levels
- Drought and low-inflow procedures
- Recreational access
- Safe navigation
- Shoreline development
- Multi-slip docks and marina facilities
- Public parks and boat ramps
- Environmental protection
- Water quality
- Fisheries and wildlife habitat
- The economic importance of recreation and tourism
- Communication with residents and lake users
Federal records document LMA’s advocacy for a low-inflow protocol that would balance downstream needs with maintaining usable lake levels. The Association also emphasized the economic importance of recreation and supported responsible policies for shoreline and multi-slip facilities. See FERC’s Saluda Project Environmental Assessment.
LMA has continued to monitor the implementation of the operating license, including planned drawdowns, shoreline classifications, buffer requirements, land-use proposals, and changes affecting public access and recreational use.
Shoreline Protection and Responsible Development
As development around Lake Murray increased, the Association’s responsibilities expanded beyond water levels and boating issues.
LMA has participated in discussions involving shoreline buffers, vegetation removal, erosion, docks, marinas, multi-slip facilities, public access, and the sale or reclassification of project lands.
In 2019, the Association joined other environmental and community organizations in raising concerns about excessive clearing within protected shoreline-buffer areas associated with development near the lake. That advocacy helped reinforce the importance of compliance with FERC requirements and the need to preserve some of Lake Murray’s remaining natural shoreline.
Through these efforts, the Association has sought to balance private-property use, recreation, economic activity, and responsible development with the long-term health of the lake.
Supporting Boating and Public Safety
The Association’s safety work has extended well beyond its dock-sign program. Throughout its history, LMA has worked with organizations and agencies including:
- South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
- Lexington County Sheriff’s Department and Marine Patrol
- Richland County Sheriff’s Department
- Newberry and Saluda County agencies
- Fire departments and rescue squads
- U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
- Lake Murray Power Squadron/America’s Boating Club
- Dominion Energy
- Other lake and community organizations
The Association has promoted boating education, life-jacket use, sober operation, navigation awareness, emergency preparedness, float plans, dock safety, and compliance with state boating laws.
Public meetings have allowed residents and boaters to hear directly from law-enforcement officers, emergency responders, environmental specialists, Dominion Energy representatives, elected officials, and other authorities.
LMA has also recognized the people who protect Lake Murray through its Emergency Services Appreciation Luncheon and related community programs.
Education, Outreach, and Community Programs
The association’s history is ultimately the story of volunteers. For more than three decades, residents, business owners, boaters, anglers, environmental advocates, public officials, and community partners have contributed their time and expertise to issues affecting Lake Murray.
Presidents and boards have changed, but the association’s essential purpose has remained consistent: to watch, educate, communicate, and advocate.
Today, the Lake Murray Association represents not only people who own waterfront property, but all those who benefit from the lake—including residents of the surrounding counties, recreational visitors, businesses, tourism organizations, anglers, boaters, conservationists, and future generations.
The challenges facing Lake Murray continue to evolve. Population growth, development pressure, shoreline erosion, changing recreational use, water-quality concerns, boating congestion, wildlife protection, and increasingly complex regulatory decisions all require sustained public involvement.
LMA’s history demonstrates why an informed, independent, lake-wide organization remains essential.
More than 30 years after citizens first gathered to question the management of low lake levels, the Lake Murray Association continues its work as: The Voice of Lake Murray.
Celebrating 25 Years
In May 2019, Lake Murray Association celebrated its 25th anniversary at a quarterly meeting held at Pilgrim Lutheran Church.
State Representative Chip Huggins presented the association with a proclamation from the South Carolina House of Representatives. The proclamation was accepted by Bob Keener, LMA’s founding president, and Joy Downs, a past president and longtime executive director whose service was instrumental in maintaining the association’s continuity.
Dave Landis was serving as president at the time. Past presidents, board members, law-enforcement representatives, SCDNR officials, and Dominion Energy representatives were recognized.
The anniversary celebration highlighted the Association’s water-quality testing, Ladies Day on the Lake, public-safety efforts, and longstanding work with SCDNR.
A Volunteer Organization with a Lake-Wide Mission
The association’s history is ultimately the story of volunteers. For more than three decades, residents, business owners, boaters, anglers, environmental advocates, public officials, and community partners have contributed their time and expertise to issues affecting Lake Murray.
Presidents and boards have changed, but the association’s essential purpose has remained consistent: to watch, educate, communicate, and advocate.
Today, the Lake Murray Association represents not only people who own waterfront property, but all those who benefit from the lake—including residents of the surrounding counties, recreational visitors, businesses, tourism organizations, anglers, boaters, conservationists, and future generations.
The challenges facing Lake Murray continue to evolve. Population growth, development pressure, shoreline erosion, changing recreational use, water-quality concerns, boating congestion, wildlife protection, and increasingly complex regulatory decisions all require sustained public involvement.
LMA’s history demonstrates why an informed, independent, lake-wide organization remains essential.
More than 30 years after citizens first gathered to question the management of low lake levels, the Lake Murray Association continues its work as: The Voice of Lake Murray.