The Corps of Engineers requested comments from all lake stake holders before they ran a test of 3100cfs from Thurmond in November - February, 2008. Since we are requesting adopting 3600cfs as a standard release anytime Lake Thurmond is 2' or more below fill level, we thought it would be enlightening to look at what everybody claimed might be wrong with 3100cfs.
Based on information supplied by the Corps of Engineers everyone should be fine with a release rate of 3600cfs. The manufacturing and power generating facilities along the Savannah River all indicated they might have to make some modifications to their water intake facilities at 3100cfs but that they had no problems with 3600cfs. This included International Paper, SRS, Georgia Power and Georgia Pacific. The city of Augusta public utilities indicated no problems with 3600 and as we now know they are set up to take water out of the river instead of the canal if they encounter a problem.
The only people that had a real quarrel with 3100cfs were the mill and others associated with the Augusta Canal and the environmental organizations such as the NOAA who were concerned that 3100 "MIGHT" endanger some fish species. But again even these organizations were not having a problem with 3600cfs.
So far as the Augusta Canal, there is a very simple solution to their concerns. The environmentalists insist on 1500cfs across the shoals. The shoals flow is whatever is left over after you subtract the flow to the canal from the releases from Lake Thurmond. If you simply control the flow through the shoals at 1500cfs whenever the releases from Thurmond are reduced to 3600cfs and let the rest go through the canal you satisfy the environmentatlists and the canal will be fine. Matter of fact it could be argued that the flow through Thurmond could even be reduced to 3100 and the canal would still be fine but we don't need to argue this point since we only want to go down to 3600cfs when the Lake level is down.
As for the Mill in the canal that generates electricity from canal flows, there is no way to justify destroying real estate values, businesses and recreation associated with Lake Thurmond for the meager savings the Mill realizes from generating power from the canal. But here again the argument is mute because at 3600cfs even the mill can do their thing.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
CORPS OF ENGINEERS GUILTY OF GROSS MISMANAGEMENT OF LAKE THURMOND
The Corps of Engineers is guilty of gross mismanagement of Lake Thurmond. Let me enumerate the evidence:
o First the Corps is a professional Engineering organization and thereby owes the public who are paying their salaries professional behavior. Because of their level of expertise they can be held accountable for making decisions that are consistent with good engineering practices. Just as Doctors can be held accountable for their procedures and decisions, the Corps is accountable for following failed procedures and making poor decisions. They have been offered a very basic solution to the lake problem but rather than evaluate the recommended solution using the engineering judgment they are capable of, they hide behind ridiculous excuses.
o Second the Corps has been fully informed of the disasters caused by their inappropriate control of Lake Thurmond Lake levels. They have been shown that the cost of the drastic drop in lake levels in 2006,7, and 8 totaled in excess of a billion dollars to upstream businesses and property values. Instead of recognizing the magnitude of the costs which would justify immediate corrective measures they pretend they need studies to determine the magnitude of the losses. As a professional engineering organization they should not be permitted to act ignorant of the huge losses they've caused. Furthermore the loss in confidence that has occured regarding the Lakes will require a huge publicity effort coupled with immediate correction of the drought control plan to turn these losses around. None of these can start because the Corps pleads ignorance and lack of capability. A competent engineering firm would not be so impotent.
o Third the losses experienced upstream are minor compared to the potential losses that would have occured if Lake Thurmond hit the level where the river would no longer have flows of 3600cfs or greater. If Lake Thurmond had dropped a few more feet as it would have if the drought had continued, releases could have dropped to as low as 500cfs which would be a disaster for everyone depending on the Savannah River. Ignoring this and refusing to correct the situation is criminal. Yet the Corps blindly continues with their outdated drought plan pretending that only the upstream interests are at risk and ignoring the potential for a future disaster downstream. Instead of informing downstream interests how close they came to disaster, the corps is childishly adjusting flows willy nilly because "someone" feels they need higher flows than 3600cfs.
When asked if they understand the argument Col. Edward Kertis responded with "we got it". He even claimed that he was tired of seeing the argument saying sarcastically that he heard it all 75 times we said it . When asked why he insists on ignoring our requests he throws up fictitious arguments about how he is worried about DO (dissolved oxygen) or side tracks the issue referring to past studies costing millions that he says need to be finished (that he knows aren't going to be done because of a lack of funding). He knows full well these studies can not do any better than the actual live test of 3600cfs run for over a year with no deleterious effects. Besides, based on the magnitude of the problems and the fact that people are hurting around the lakes from lost confidence in them staying up in level, the very least that the Corps should do is initiate temporary changes correcting the problem until further study can be done. Instead the Corps refuses to make the requested changes leaving the area unable to rid itself of a bad taste that is retarding a comeback and future growth while at the same time risking future disaster.
o First the Corps is a professional Engineering organization and thereby owes the public who are paying their salaries professional behavior. Because of their level of expertise they can be held accountable for making decisions that are consistent with good engineering practices. Just as Doctors can be held accountable for their procedures and decisions, the Corps is accountable for following failed procedures and making poor decisions. They have been offered a very basic solution to the lake problem but rather than evaluate the recommended solution using the engineering judgment they are capable of, they hide behind ridiculous excuses.
o Second the Corps has been fully informed of the disasters caused by their inappropriate control of Lake Thurmond Lake levels. They have been shown that the cost of the drastic drop in lake levels in 2006,7, and 8 totaled in excess of a billion dollars to upstream businesses and property values. Instead of recognizing the magnitude of the costs which would justify immediate corrective measures they pretend they need studies to determine the magnitude of the losses. As a professional engineering organization they should not be permitted to act ignorant of the huge losses they've caused. Furthermore the loss in confidence that has occured regarding the Lakes will require a huge publicity effort coupled with immediate correction of the drought control plan to turn these losses around. None of these can start because the Corps pleads ignorance and lack of capability. A competent engineering firm would not be so impotent.
o Third the losses experienced upstream are minor compared to the potential losses that would have occured if Lake Thurmond hit the level where the river would no longer have flows of 3600cfs or greater. If Lake Thurmond had dropped a few more feet as it would have if the drought had continued, releases could have dropped to as low as 500cfs which would be a disaster for everyone depending on the Savannah River. Ignoring this and refusing to correct the situation is criminal. Yet the Corps blindly continues with their outdated drought plan pretending that only the upstream interests are at risk and ignoring the potential for a future disaster downstream. Instead of informing downstream interests how close they came to disaster, the corps is childishly adjusting flows willy nilly because "someone" feels they need higher flows than 3600cfs.
When asked if they understand the argument Col. Edward Kertis responded with "we got it". He even claimed that he was tired of seeing the argument saying sarcastically that he heard it all 75 times we said it . When asked why he insists on ignoring our requests he throws up fictitious arguments about how he is worried about DO (dissolved oxygen) or side tracks the issue referring to past studies costing millions that he says need to be finished (that he knows aren't going to be done because of a lack of funding). He knows full well these studies can not do any better than the actual live test of 3600cfs run for over a year with no deleterious effects. Besides, based on the magnitude of the problems and the fact that people are hurting around the lakes from lost confidence in them staying up in level, the very least that the Corps should do is initiate temporary changes correcting the problem until further study can be done. Instead the Corps refuses to make the requested changes leaving the area unable to rid itself of a bad taste that is retarding a comeback and future growth while at the same time risking future disaster.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
MISUNDERSTANDINGS AND CONFUSION ARE SETTING IN ON DROUGHT MANAGEMENT PLAN
The reason the Corps insists on ignoring the proposal for a new drought management plan from LHA et al is not clear. But now that the lakes are nearing full and the time since we were in a severe drought grows longer, misunderstandings and confusion are dimming the passions for correcting the problems with the existing drought plan for Lakes Thurmond and Hartwell. The Corps has raised concerns about dissolved oxygen and the DNR has raised concerns about the welfare of fish and wildlife. And well intentioned but misguided stakeholders of the Savannah River Basin are listening to these concerns and accepting them as reasons not to correct the problem.
What is getting lost in the shuffle is the fact that following the proposed new drought plan is the best solution for all these problems. Using 3600cfs as a release limit anytime Thurmond is 2ft below full avoids the near disasters experienced several times in the past with the current plan. Whether we are talking dissolved oxygen, the welfare of fish and wildlife, or some other well intentioned concern, keeping the lakes full over a full year's cycle is the best way to keep these problems at bay. Those arguing the other way fail to remember the fact that if you put out more water than comes in from rain over the year you drain the lakes and could end up with no way to control any of these concerns. They also are failing to give credit to the fact that in 2008 we ran a full 12 month demonstration of the acceptability of 3600cfs downstream. Furthermore if a problem is discovered with 3600cfs it needs to be solved by some manner that does not run the risk of draining the lakes dry. For example there are many ways to improve dissolved oxygen that do not involve increasing lake releases. One way is to decrease the amount of water going into the Augusta Canal so that you get higher flows across the shoals which aireate the river.
What is getting lost in the shuffle is the fact that following the proposed new drought plan is the best solution for all these problems. Using 3600cfs as a release limit anytime Thurmond is 2ft below full avoids the near disasters experienced several times in the past with the current plan. Whether we are talking dissolved oxygen, the welfare of fish and wildlife, or some other well intentioned concern, keeping the lakes full over a full year's cycle is the best way to keep these problems at bay. Those arguing the other way fail to remember the fact that if you put out more water than comes in from rain over the year you drain the lakes and could end up with no way to control any of these concerns. They also are failing to give credit to the fact that in 2008 we ran a full 12 month demonstration of the acceptability of 3600cfs downstream. Furthermore if a problem is discovered with 3600cfs it needs to be solved by some manner that does not run the risk of draining the lakes dry. For example there are many ways to improve dissolved oxygen that do not involve increasing lake releases. One way is to decrease the amount of water going into the Augusta Canal so that you get higher flows across the shoals which aireate the river.
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