Conservation nonprofit Lake Norman Wildlife received a grant from Duke Energy to build two artificial reefs, which it installed this week: One at Lake Norman State Park and another at the Beatties Ford Access.
“The purpose is to further enhance the fishing experience at Lake Norman and increase and improve fish habitat,” said David Myers, secretary of Lake Norman Wildlife.
Every year, Duke Energy has to provide funding for habitat restoration projects along the Catawba-Wateree as part of its hydroelectric license. The utility operates 12 dams along the watershed, from Lake James to Lake Wateree.
Last year, Duke Energy issued over $500,000 in grants through its Habitat Enhancement program in North and South Carolina. Past projects included stream restoration work and land purchases for conservation.
Billy Wilson, a board member with Lake Norman Wildlife, said placing the limestone cement reef felt cathartic after removing tons of debris from the area after Hurricane Helene:
“We stood on this pier two years ago, overlooking the lake, and just saw tons and tons of debris, Styrofoam, propane tanks, and so on, and it seemed like a very inundating task,” said Billy Wilson, a board member with Lake Norman Wildlife.
Drew Keeley is a manager with Natrx, the Raleigh-based company that 3D printed the reef. It’s split into 25 cement cubes, which look a little like a drizzle castle you might find on the beach.
“They're intentionally designed that way,” Keeley said. “It's supposed to have like an irregular, natural look to them instead of more of like a precast mold or standard way of forming concrete.”
He said it mimics “natural bumps and variations,” creating bigger openings for adult fish and smaller hideaways for juveniles.
The reef will stretch out like five fingers from the Lake Norman State Park pier. Myers said he hopes it will help local fishers do “less fishing and more catching.”
