MOULTRIE — The big boulders below the dam at Reed Bingham State Park resemble large piles of brown bread baking in the May sun. There is no water cascading over the dam and through their crevices.

The drought that plagues South Georgia has the lake at very low levels, incredibly low for this time of year. Below the dam, Little River is not flowing. Wading birds, such as the blue heron, traipse through the pools spearing small fish.

Typically at this time of year, fisherman are found below the dam catching redbreast and bluegill in the eddies between the rocks and the dam. Not so on Friday. It was dry boulders and dry dirt.

“And I’m afraid we’re going to have a tremendous grass problem in the lake with these conditions,” said Park Superintendent Chet Powell.

Powell said the low water combined with the warm temperatures is causing the grass to grow. In the shallows, the light can get down into the depths to create the photosynthesis necessary to make the grass much more prolific.

Except in the channel, Reed Bingham is a shallow lake. It’s long had a grass problem.

“And we don’t have the money here now to fight it. I’ve ordered a new chemical that we want to try on it. It should be here next week,” said Powell.

Powell said the grass problem could be bad enough to make the lake almost non-navigable this summer.

Irrigation upstream of the park may contribute to the low water levels in the lake as farmers battle the worst drought in 50 years. In some areas, farmers are irrigating their land so they can get seed into the ground and others are trying to save those plants that are up.

Also upstream, logs and stumps are being revealed that boaters must be wary of.

“Some of this happens every year but generally it’s at the end of the summer,” said Powell.

Still the park is a popular place as visitors take advantage of the camping and nature trails as well as the lake. The park is home to a bald eagle, numerous deer and alligators. Also, gopher tortoises have been quite a feature at the park as volunteers have helped protect their eggs from predators such as fox, armadillos and opossums.

“And we’ve just had a couple drive in from South Carolina to view a limkin,” said Powell.

A limkin is a rare wading bird for these parts. It’s smaller than the blue heron, which is very common in this area. The limkin is common to Florida and Southeast Georgia along the Okefenokee Swamp. It feeds in the shallows off frogs, tadpoles, water bugs and small fish.