Things are heating up. We've updated the Save Our Lakes Now website (www.saveourlakesnow.org) to reflect where we are now in trying to get the mess with lake levels straightened out. On that site there is a breaking news link that will let everyone know what is going on right now. If you haven't already, be sure to go to that site and sign the petition and get familiar with the site. It wil become more and more important as we work to get our recommended change to the drought plan implemented.
So far as the Corps is concerned they are blindly following the old plan and refusing to go to 3600cfs at this time. We understand that they do not plan to return to 3600cfs unti the lake drops to 324' (1.5ft lower than the level today). Please call your congressman and Col Kertis of the Corps and ask them "why not go to 3600cfs now". If enough people do this we can hopefully get the Corps to stop holding off on this change.
We now have the ear of WJBF Channel 6 and they plan a 30 minute program discussing this whole issue. Save Our Lakes Now has been invited to express their side of the argument and Col Kertis of the Corps and his superior officer have been invited to attend as well.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
CONCISE STATEMENT OF OUR FOCUS
Following is a one paragraph statement that sums up the lake level problem. Feel free to copy and/or use this to explain the situation we face to anyone who may be able to help with our cause:
When people hear about problems with the drought control plan for Lake Thurmond they automatically assume higher lake levels for recreation would deny the people along the Savannah River the water they need for drinking water, environmental concerns, industry, etc. But this simply is not true. The Corps' Drought Plan is destructive to both upstream and downstream interests. Thurmond Dam simply pools the water from rain so that it can be released uniformly over the year giving the river predictable water flows. The Dam can't make water. So if you release more water than is available from rains you can destroy the ability to release a uniform amount of water to the river. The Corps' Drought Plan does just that. They released more water during the last drought than was available from rain thereby dropping lake levels almost to the bottom of the conservation pool. At that level uniform releases are no longer possible. In other words the Corps' Drought Plan could easily get us to the point where drinking water, environmental, and industrial needs, etc along the river can not be met. Save Our Lakes Now is proposing that the Corps use a flow rate of 3600cfs anytime Lake Thurmond drops 2ft. This flow would meet the needs of both upstream and downstream interests. It matches the amount of water that came in from rain during the worst drought on record which means the lakes would stay full and 3600cfs was used for over a year without any problems downstream of the dam.
When people hear about problems with the drought control plan for Lake Thurmond they automatically assume higher lake levels for recreation would deny the people along the Savannah River the water they need for drinking water, environmental concerns, industry, etc. But this simply is not true. The Corps' Drought Plan is destructive to both upstream and downstream interests. Thurmond Dam simply pools the water from rain so that it can be released uniformly over the year giving the river predictable water flows. The Dam can't make water. So if you release more water than is available from rains you can destroy the ability to release a uniform amount of water to the river. The Corps' Drought Plan does just that. They released more water during the last drought than was available from rain thereby dropping lake levels almost to the bottom of the conservation pool. At that level uniform releases are no longer possible. In other words the Corps' Drought Plan could easily get us to the point where drinking water, environmental, and industrial needs, etc along the river can not be met. Save Our Lakes Now is proposing that the Corps use a flow rate of 3600cfs anytime Lake Thurmond drops 2ft. This flow would meet the needs of both upstream and downstream interests. It matches the amount of water that came in from rain during the worst drought on record which means the lakes would stay full and 3600cfs was used for over a year without any problems downstream of the dam.
Friday, July 10, 2009
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.
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.
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