The purpose of the Santee Cooper Hydroelectric and Navigation Project was to impound the Santee River, transform its power into electricity and spark prosperity in Depression-ravaged rural South Carolina. What was the largest earth-moving project in history, resulted in the creation of Lakes Marion and Moultrie, 156,000 acres of outdoor paradise.

Skiing on the waters of these lakes or fishing along their banks, it's hard to imagine a time when there were only pine forests and swamp in their place. It's even harder to imagine that with all their natural beauty, Lakes Marion and Moultrie were made by man.

Nature can take full credit for the region's intrinsic beauty, but man, too, deserves credit for efforts to protect and preserve the Santee Cooper Lake Country environment and maintain these areas as natural habitats. Man's challenge is to realize the area's tremendous recreational potential without disturbing its natural beauty or bountiful wildlife.

This mix of utilization and conservation is what Santee Cooper strives to achieve. For Santee Cooper, protecting and improving the environment is equal in importance to providing affordable electric energy.

The lakes are bounded by over 450 miles of shoreline. This property is valuable, not only for the potential development of lakefront communities, but also for the wildlife it harbors. For this reason, all future development around the lakes is carefully planned to make the best use of the land.

Land use planners, architects, and engineers work together with environmentalists and conservationists to determine the most responsible way to develop the land. A key to this plan is a policy to preserve at least 70 percent of the area surrounding the lakes in a natural, undeveloped state. So, the vast portion of Santee Cooper Lake Country will always remain beautifully uncomplicated and untouched.

Lakes Marion and Moultrie yield everything from record-size striped bass and catfish, to bluegill and bream. Fishing licenses, information on bait and tackle, and professional fishing guides are available at several area establishments.

In addition to the many species of game fish that inhabit the lakes, the shores teem with wildlife.

Deer, fox, squirrel, dove, turkey, and duck share this beautiful area with the bald eagle, osprey, and alligator.

To provide a home for these creatures, 15,000 acres of federally managed land and water are set aside for the Santee National Wildlife Refuge.

An additional 18,250 acres are operated by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources as a Wildlife Management Area.

Santee Cooper works closely with these and other wildlife agencies to help administer these areas in the best possible way. This philosophy of protection and commitment to cooperative management will ensure that the woodlands and lakes of Santee Cooper will always abound with game and fish. And that endangered species like the American bald eagle will always have a home where they can thrive.

For the Benefit of All When Santee Cooper was created in 1934, the state's General Assembly declared that the project "is in all respects, for the benefit of all of the people of the state of South Carolina, for the improvement of their health and welfare and material prosperity and operated for the benefit of all the people of the state."

Before the project, the Santee River would periodically flood its banks, destroying crops and property. Today, Santee Cooper has tamed the river. Our flood control program has turned what was once wasteland into useful land.

Crops now grow and livestock graze in areas that once were only the breeding grounds for malaria-carrying mosquitoes. This flood control program played a large role in the economic growth of this thriving area. Santee Cooper continues to plant its land around the lakes with loblolly and slash pines.

Visit Santee Cooper. You can fish in our lakes, swim in them, water-ski on them, or camp along their banks. They're open year-round. We'll feel better knowing that even though you may not be able to enjoy the electric power we produce, you'll be able to enjoy the natural wonder of one of its sources.

For more information on hunting and fishing the Santee Cooper Lakes Country, write the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources:

S.C. Department of Natural Resources
Post Office Box 167
Columbia, S.C. 29202

They can provide information on specific open and closed seasons, regulations and licensing.

For the latest Santee Cooper Lakes information, call 1-800-92-LAKES