Lake Waccamaw: A North Carolina Treasure
The endemic Waccamaw Silverside is found only in Lake Waccamaw and Big Creek. Photo Courtesy of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.
It is one of the largest Carolina Bay lakes, and was established as a North Carolina State Park in 1976. Almost perfectly oval in shape, there are still lots of questions about the origins of this and other Carolina Bays. With an average depth of 7.5 feet and a primarily clean, sandy bottom, Lake Waccamaw is an ideal location for fishing, boating, and swimming. It is also home to a great diversity of species, including a few that only exist in or around the lake, and nowhere else on earth. These species are called endemic species. Areas with endemic species are usually more isolated, which can make it difficult for species to spread to other areas. Additionally, these endemic plants and animals have unique characteristics.
There are three fish that are endemic to Lake Waccamaw: the Waccamaw Silverside, Waccamaw Darter, and Waccamaw Killifish. All three are small, growing no more than 4 inches in length, and are found in shallow to mid-depths with sandy bottoms.
Two endemic species of mussels can be found in Lake Waccamaw as well. The endemic Waccamaw Spike is one of the most abundant mussels in Lake Waccamaw. Its range is the Waccamaw River drainage basin, which is more extensive than just the lake. The other endemic mussel is the Waccamaw Fatmucket, which is only is most abundant in the deep sand regions of the lake. The Fatmucket is restricted solely to Lake Waccamaw.
Of the 11 different species of snail that have been found in the Lake, the Waccamaw Amnicola and Waccamaw Siltsnail are both endemic.
Other animals that you can find at the lake include American alligators, Brimley’s chorus frog, waterfowl, white-tailed deer, and various birds. Five of the state’s rare plants – the Venus-hair fern, green-fly orchid, seven-angled pipewort, narrowleaf yellow pondlily, and water arrowhead – are found as well.
Lake Waccamaw is a beautiful and delicate ecosystem that is home to many unique plant and animal species. Like many natural ecosystems in the North Carolina, though, it is also seeing an invasion of exotic species which threaten to throw off its delicate balance. In 2012, the invasive aquatic plant hydrilla was found in the lake. This plant, a native of Asia, was first found in the Lake at a boat ramp. It can grow so thick under water that it crowds out native species, gets tangled around boat propellers and makes it difficult to swim. To combat the spread of hydrilla, Lake Waccamaw State Park, Columbus County, and the town of Lake Waccamaw have been monitoring and treating the lake.
Understanding how lake levels are changing in Lake Waccamaw will help us better understand the ecosystem as a whole. We are currently monitoring the level at 3 different locations on the lake, and you can find those lake levels right here on our website. If you are interested in helping us monitor lake levels in Lake Waccamaw or any other lake, please let us know by emailing us at [email protected].
LOCSS News
We share stories about the lakes in our study, our partners and volunteer citizen scientists, as well as interesting results from our research.
