PRIORITIES FOR WATER USAGE ALL WRONG

The state of SC needs to get the priorities for water usage along the Savannah River changed. At present a dog's breakfast of rules and regulations has the whole lake situation in total chaos. For example the current rules require that the dam releases exceed 3100cfs supposedly so that river needs downstream of Augusta are met. But in reality the only reason for 3100cfs is so the shoals don't get "too dry" for "environmental concerns".

The streams along the river are rain swollen and give way more than the desired 3100cfs by themselves but because of the requirement for minimum flows at the shoals the Corps can not count any water coming in from downstream of the shoals. All this became apparent from looking at what happens when the Augusta Canal is shut down for repairs. Once the canal is down all the realeases that are needed from the dam are 1500cfs to satisfy the "environmental concerns" at the shoals because the inflows from all the streams below the shoals will satisfy the 3100cfs desired below the shoals. Furthermore if inflows from streams between the dam and the shoals are factored in you don't even need 1500cfs from the dam to meet all the screwed up rules.

Since there are so many people (especially the "environmental concerns") involved in specifying the rules there is such confusion about flows required that it takes a genius to figure it all out. And since the Corps is timid about upsetting anyone downstream and the people upstream aren't complaining we end up with lakes going dry for stupid reasons.

Let's try a simple change in priorities and look at how simple it all gets:
1) Establish 5 ft below normal fill as the lake bottom and only allow water in from rain to pass through the dams after that point.
2) Do not try to interfere with nature when it comes to environmental concerns. You can not redesign the Earth. It was designed better than man ever could. The only man made interference with mother nature should be flood control. So far as species dyeing off in a drought, salt water incursions, low flow across the shoals, and all the other environmental concerns the dam should not be used to redo nature or to take away from nature. This is accomplished once you let rain in = water out and should end the discussion about environmental concerns.
3) Give downstream interests a reasonable period of time to redesign for future droughts before fully implementing the new lake bottoms.
4) Until this reasonable period of time passes, give the dam credit for all downstream inflows in figuring minimum releases needed. As far as the shoals are concerned balance this against whether or not to reopen the Augusta Canal and not against flows at the dam.

Why this set of priorities? All you have to do is drive to the lakes and look at the devastation around the shores to realize that this destruction is not warranted by flow across the shoals or the other myriad rules and reasons given for unreasonable release requirements from the dams.