The Corps' typical response to lake interests about the current drought situation is to state emphatically that everything that can be done is being done. They do this with a big smile on their face but their true attitude is obvious when they turn their back on the devastation occuring upstream of the dams. If they were trying to help lake interests they would at least allow input from us. But the truth is they allow input from everyone but us. They tell us how we must sacrifice our lake interests to protect others downstream who are affected by low river flows. They do not tell the interests downstream how they must sacrifice to limit the destruction occuring upstream. And more importantly we are never permitted to argue our cause at the bargaining table where ridiculous arguments are heard from environmentalists, and other interests.
Looking back at letters to the editor I wrote in 2002 and 3 it became obvious that the Corps is not listening to lake interests. The Colonel in charge in 2003 was trying to find ways to improve the upstream situation and was preparing to experiment with lower discharge rates. Then all of a sudden all the plans to try lower flows were dropped because environmental concerns told the Corps this MIGHT cause problems with wild life and salt water incursion at the coast. I asked myself then and ask it again now why in heaven's name do you let POSSIBLE problems trump the real destruction occuring upstream of the dams.
Besides, as I've noted in previous posts, environmentalists should have no argument with what is going on unless we send less water downstream than would be provided were there no dam. Environmental concerns by definition go away when man's input is removed and that is what you would have if the conditions are those that would occur before construction of the dam. In other words if water in from rain = water through the dam you eliminate man's input and return to an environmentalists dream.
In order for lake interests to get a voice we either need for our politicians to come to our aid or we need the news media to bring about public sentiment for the plight of lake interests upstream of the dams. The news media and politicians alike apparently have not thought through just how tremendous an economic value to Augusta, Anderson, and neighboring communities the lakes would be if allowed to remain full rather than see-saw up and down in level. In reality the whole area is suffering a tremendous loss but only the people and businesses around the lake are close enough to the problem to care.
Law suits are not a pleasant thing and I would prefer to never go there but it looks to me like there is no other way to get the Corps to pay attention and protect lake interests. And something needs to be done quickly because the drought will probably continue and do irreparable damage to our beautiful lakes. If the true cost to the lakes and surrounding communities were tabulated the Corps would have no difficulty justifying the cost of downstream interests making provisions for the lakes to stay full. Just the lost moneys from real estate and business losses around the lakes are staggering. But these are nothing in comparison to the losses to the whole area which includes Augusta, Anderson and their surroundings when you look at what could have been if the lakes remained full. All you have to do is look at Lexington near Columbia and the Lake Wylie and Lake Norman areas near Charlotte to see what could happen because people are naturally drawn to beautiful lake areas.
1 comment:
We need to have a meeting !
I am always stunned by the Corps attitude towards the public.They are not willing to do anything to help out with our severe lake levels. When we ask about other lakes like lake Oconee, they say Georgia power doesn't care about downriver environmental concerns. Well I haven't heard a word about any problems there. As for the sturgeon in the Savannah River, they are in the best shape in decades,so are the striped bass. I have to agree with another writer in wondering why the lake is in such a dredful situation when our rainfall was not that bad last year. We didn't have a drought last year but look at the lake levels. Sure we were below average slightly, but nothing as severe as the levels would indicate. We need legislation, because the Corps will not do anything without it. I suggested to Charlie Norwood that we get some type of bill passed that allows for a mechanism of change. As it is right now you have to have an act of congress to make the corps do anything. They operate with total immunity. They simply don't & won't listen to anyone & get aggressively defensive when the public, who by the way funds them, voice any cincern or have questions. We absolutely have to have them subget to an overseeing board with a touch of reality. I thought we are supposed to be operating under the "of the people by the people and for the people" assumption. The people are as near to 100% for better lake level as you can get. Where is our representation? Our politicians have been busy lately with all our country's problems, but think about the people on the lake who depend on the lake for a living. These people are all on the brink of looseing everything they have. Many have already done so. Anyone needing to sale property on the lake is in a real bad situation. They are being hit from every direction. The main problem with buyers is their lack in confidence that the lake level will ever come back. This lake level problem must be solved and solved guickly without permanent loss in lake values. If you compare values to lake Oconee you will see that their
values are much higher than ours. The main reason is they have a consistent lake level and don't have to abide by such stringent rules laid out by the Corps. Don't get me wrong, the Corps does do a great job of managing much of our natural resources, just not our lake levels! The people, bussinesses, and losses in taxes are in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The loss in taxes and property values has just begun. I know for sure there are going to be many foreclosure in the coming months. They have already begun and many more are on the way. I have also been hearing that it costs more than a dollar for the corps to generate adollar of electricity. As for the loss of money and coming foreclosures on the lake, I have first hand knowledge of it's validity. I think we need an investigation on the profit margin for generating electricity. If this is true we could bust the lid off the lake level issue. Let's set up our first meeting to begin the process of fair government "of the people buy the people and for the people"
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