Land Before the Waters: Diving the Lakes

The Oconee County Public Library and the Oconee Heritage Center will present a series of talks about the coming of the lakes to Oconee County throughout April, May, and June 2016. Sponsored by the South Carolina Humanities, the series of talks, featuring area scholars, authors, historians, and lake enthusiasts will address the impact to the county of the construction of dams and the resulting man-made lakes, including the historical, economic, cultural, social, and engineering aspects of the coming of the lakes.

Bill Routh has made a career on Lake Jocassee and the surrounding area lakes as a technical dive instructor and owner/operator of Lake Jocassee Dive Shop and Off the Wall Charters.  He began diving in 1981 and has researched and located Camp Jocassee for Girls, Whitewater Steel Bridge, and the Attakulla Lodge, all located at a depth greater than 300′.  Bill will discuss his dives on Lake Jocassee and the history behind these places.