HERE WE GO AGAIN

Just as we are finally nearing full pool in Lake Thurmond the Corps has announced that they need to drop the lake 4 feet to permit repairs to the Dam. These repairs are being done with stimulus money. This brings to a head the issues we've been talking about for over a year.


We've been pleading for a drought control plan that specifies release rates of 3600 cfs (3100 during the months of October to February) any time Lake Thurmond is 2' below full pool. And we've been asking the Corps to end the practice of dropping the lake level 4' for the winter.


The reasoning behind the release rate of 3600 (3100 during October to February) is to match the annual rain input during the worst drought of record. This would limit the swing in Lake Level over the year during a drought to less than 8' which avoids destroying upstream viability. So far as downstream affects, this release rate has been demonstrated to be acceptable for all downstream stakeholders. Furthermore this protects downstream interests from the catastrophic consequences of Lake Thurmond dropping to the bottom of it's conservation pool . Once the lake hits this level there is no longer a pool to operate from and river flows would vary with daily rainfalls.

The Corps is claiming they need to drop 4' for the safety of the personnel doing the repairs to the dam. Save Our Lakes members with experience in this area feel that the Corps should be able to modify their equipment to allow the work to be done safely with a 2' or less drop in level.

The Corps is assuming they need to continue the practice of dropping the lakes 4' in the winter to protect against flooding downstream if we get heavy winter rains. We've asked that they reassess this because we feel this amount of drop is not necessary to protect against downstream flooding because of numerous changes since the 4' rule curve was put into use.

The biggest challenge for upstream lake interests trying to get the Corps to make changes in the way they manage lake levels is there is no mechanism in place for proposing changes. And the Corps claims economic affects upstream of the dams are not their responsibility. We are totally at their mercy if they chose not to listen to our suggestions. The biggest thing in our favor is the number of people involved who have an interest in the lakes. A meeting of Save Our Lakes Now is planned for 7:00pm on Monday 10/16 at the Lincolnton Court House. By that time we should know whether the Corps is willing to modify their plans. If not we need to pull everone together to get the benefit of a large number of people speaking with one voice