CARBON COUNTY, Pa. — It's a sight people had to see with their own eyes at Beltzville State Park. With drought conditions dragging on, Beltzville Lake near Lehighton is rapidly receding.
"Well, I knew we were in a drought but you don't really realize how much of a drought until you really stand and look at it yourself," said Nicole Horn of Franklin Township.
Newswatch 16 found lots of people exploring where the water once was. Some even stopped just to take pictures of the lake.
Bruce Linn of Towamensing Township says he walks here a lot and even boated here last month.
"It was almost normal then, I mean it was down some, but not this much. it's crazy," said Linn.
A concrete block that was once the marker for the deepest part of the swimming area is now nothing but rocks and a shelly shoreline.
Park Manager Ben Monk says the lake is down about 10 feet and dropping daily.
"As the water recedes right now, preachers Camp boat launch is closed. If we go about five more feet down, the Pine Run boat launch will close. Basically they are closed because the ramps are all the way exposed. There is no runway for your boat to get in the water," said Ben Monk.
Park officials say one of the main reasons Beltzville Lake is so low is because they need to release water to keep the Lehigh River flowing.
"So the water here is stored to push that brackish water back and push that salt back out to sea, and that provides fresh drinking water to South Eastern PA," explained Monk.
Park officials say despite the drop in water levels, since Beltzville Lake is so deep, there isn't a concern for the fish population right now.