Lake Lure exists because of a dam. The Morse family's power company dammed the Broad River in 1925, the lake filled by 1927, and the town grew up around it as a resort. About 1,365 people live here year-round, but a large share of the houses are second homes and vacation rentals, and that changes how plumbing problems are found: often late, by a neighbor or a cleaning crew.
Utilities are a patchwork. The town runs its own water system from deep wells and its own sewer, but neither reaches every street; homes outside them are on private wells and septic, and the Rumbling Bald area has been served by a private water utility. There is no natural gas main, so gas appliances run on propane. Hurricane Helene damaged the town's wells and sewer in 2024, and the town is replacing its old sewer lines, which run under the lake.
Gas Guys holds North Carolina license #L39015 and serves Lake Lure from its base in Spartanburg County, SC. Building and trade permits come from Rutherford County Building Inspections, and the Town of Lake Lure's zoning permit generally comes first.
Lake Lure at a glance
- Natural gas
- Propane (no gas main). Enbridge Gas North Carolina holds the county franchise, but the state utility map shows no service at Lake Lure; gas logs, ranges and water heaters here run on propane.
- Water
- Town of Lake Lure water (in parts); Carolina Water Service at Rumbling Bald; private wells elsewhere
- Sewer
- Town of Lake Lure sewer in parts; septic elsewhere
- Permits
- Rutherford County Building Inspections (Town of Lake Lure zoning permit first)
- Housing
- Lake houses and boathouses on the shore, vacation cabins and resort homes on the slopes, and year-round homes on the surrounding roads.
Plumbing and gas in Lake Lure: what to know
The house nobody is in
A vacation home can lose a supply line under a sink on Tuesday and nobody finds it until the weekend. A whole-house shutoff that is easy to reach, an automatic leak shutoff valve, and a habit of closing the main between stays prevent most of the damage. If the house is on a well, turning off the pump breaker does the same job.
Winterizing a lake house
Houses on the lake sit low, but many homes around it climb the ridges, and those see harder freezes. If a house will sit empty through winter, drain the supply lines, the water heater and any outdoor showers or hose bibs, and put antifreeze rated for plumbing in the traps. Gas logs and propane water heaters should be shut off at the appliance valve, not just turned down.
Town water, community wells or your own well
Find out which you have before you call anyone. Town water problems at the meter go to the Town of Lake Lure. A community well serving several lots belongs to whoever operates it. A private well means the pump, pressure tank and pressure switch are yours, and low pressure throughout the house usually starts there, not in the house piping.
Propane gas logs in a lake house
Most fireplaces here burn propane logs, and a set that sits unused from spring to fall often will not light on the first cold weekend. The usual causes are a dirty pilot or thermocouple, spider webs in the pilot tube, or an empty or shut-off tank. Vented logs need the damper locked open; vent-free logs have room-size and clearance limits that matter in a small cabin.