PEOPLE SIMPLY DO NOT UNDERSTAND

The main problem we are having with trying to sell everyone on our proposed change to the drought plan is people hear what we are saying but do not understand what they are hearing. Brad Means (the News Anchor on channel 6) demonstrated what I mean on the channel 6 news at 5 this evening. In introducing the comments we made about what the Corps is doing wrong he gave a very incorrect lead-in. Paraphrasing, he said the battle for lake water continues with the people upstream wanting more water for recreation and the people downstream wanting more water for drinking water etc. implying that both can't have what they want.

What we want is what is best for downstream users as well as for us. By keeping the lakes full we protect everyone downstream from losing the water necessary to meet their needs along the river while at the same time protecting our interests around the lake. Everyone thinks if we keep the lakes full it will deprive downstream users but just the opposite is true. To illustrate let's look at what happens if the Corps lets Lake Thurmond drop more than 16':

1) Flows through the dam will only match what comes in from rain. So when there is no rain for weeks as in the past drought the flow through the dam will drop to zero.

2) The Augusta Canal would no longer be able to draw water from the river at predictable rates because that would leave the shoals too dry. Canal flows would drop to nothing whenever rainfall is less than 1500cfs because the environmentalists want a minimum of 1500cfs across the shoals.

3) Flows across the shoals would no longer be at least 1500cfs because there would be days when no rain falls and no water can be released from the dam.

4) All industry and cities along the Savannah would have to redo their water take off from the River and the amount of water available to them would vary to as little as zero when there is no rain over a long period of time.

5) There would be no minimum water flows for any fish species; endangered or not. They would have to take what ever falls by rain.

6) Salt water incursion would be left to the to and fro of rain or no rain because outflow from the dam could no longer be controlled at a specific level. Outflow from the dam would be zero for days when it is dry and then surge as rain occurs.

What everyone seems to be missing is the fact that the only way downstream users can be protected and have guaranteed quantities of water is to keep the lakes full. They think lake interests are just being greedy and want to keep all the water for themselves. What the people downstream fail to comprehend is the fact that release rates of 3600cfs not only will keep the lakes full but it will also meet all downstream needs. This is not pie in the skie hopeful thinking. This has been demonstrated by operating Lake Thurmond at a release rate of 3600cfs for over a year.