Low water causes issues for White Lake; festival cancels ski show

WHITE LAKE, N.C. (WECT) - The ski show at White Lake Water Festival is canceled this year. Officials said the water level is low due to ongoing drought conditions. 

Festival leaders said boats are unable to operate safely around piers. The festival will continue as scheduled otherwise. 

David deAndrade, general manager of White Lake Marina, said the lake has dropped about 8-10 inches due to the drought. 

"It's been a slow and gradual decline," said deAndrade. "April was really dry, but it hasn't been too terribly hot yet. So you can just tell month by month it's going down a little."

He said when the lake reaches low water level it usually bounces back after a few days of rain. This year is different. 

More than nine million North Carolinians are experiencing drought conditions. This was the fifth driest March on record since 1895.