Dominion is flagging violations on Lake Murray’s shores. What you need to do.
Property owners along Lake Murray may be receiving a stern letter from Dominion Energy about how they’ve been managing their portion of the lakefront.
The power company which owns the Midlands’ largest artificial lake and its 650 miles of shoreline is notifying residents of potential violations of its shoreline policy — the rules meant to maintain the shores of Lake Murray and that regulate amenities like boat docks on the water.
Anything below the 360-foot line of the lake’s maximum elevation belongs to the power company, and Dominion regularly patrols the shoreline for violations of its policy, and violators can face consequences.
“The shoreline of Lake Murray is not a long-term storage area or junkyard or for abandoned, derelict, non-functioning, dilapidated boats, platforms (floating or otherwise), or other structures or equipment,” Dominion says in its permitting handbook.
Any such structures or objects found along the lake shore “will be considered non-compliant, unpermitted potential hazards and/or nuisances,” the book states. “If located on or tethered to the shoreline owned by Dominion Energy, it also shall be considered a trespass and dealt with accordingly.”
Encroachments on the shoreline include any land-based structures as well as fences, seawalls, septic tanks, vehicles or material storage. No drainage or “effluent discharge” into the lake is allowed. Owners also can’t place coverings or roofs on any boat lifts or docks within 16 feet of the 360-foot line.
All watercraft on Lake Murray must be tied to an existing approved dock. “Pontoons being used as docks (floaters) on lots that do not qualify for dock permits ... or as extensions of approved docks fall under the aforementioned violations,” the handbook warns.
The removal of vegetation along the shoreline without permission also requires approval, and unauthorized removal can lead to the cancellation of a dock or other permits. Herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers entering the lake are also prohibited.
“As the licensed operator of Lake Murray, we must maintain a federally approved shoreline management program which supports the lake’s critical role in safe and reliable electric operations,” Dominion spokesman Matthew Long said in a statement. “This includes assessing and enforcing any unpermitted structures, encroachments or other violations of the shoreline management plan.
“Dominion Energy will send notification to the property owner via certified mail that a violation has been documented and then work with the property owner to ensure violations are addressed promptly,” Long said.
If property owners don’t respond to notices of a violation, Dominion is entitled to correct damage to the lake’s shoreline and can even remove any offending structures at the property owner’s expense.
Real estate agent Michael Bell knows that a property owner’s first instinct might be dispute a violation notice, but he urges them to settle the matter quickly.
“You need to figure out what you need to do to lift those violations,” Bell says in an online video aimed at Lake Murray property owners. “One of the consequences of not fixing these violations is you could lose your dock permit. A lake house without a dock permit could lose 50% of the value of the home. It’s not worth arguing. It’s not worth fighting. They can pull that dock permit really for any reason.”
He encourages property owners who receive a violation notice to talk to shoreline management about what they need to do to get out from under the violation.
“Don’t risk your dock permit. Don’t risk your property’s value,” he says.
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