Sunday, August 30, 2009

FINALLY

I looked at the Corps charts for Lake Thurmond Friday and was very surprised to see that the Corps has finally dropped release rates back to 3600cfs. I don't know whether this means we are winning the battle over release rates or something else is afoot. But finally the ridiculous waste of lake level has stopped. Lake Thurmond is a foot lower right now than it would have been had the Corps not increased release rates to 4000cfs.

If you are talking to or sending email to the Corps or your Congressman or State Government officials about the lake please make sure you let them know we are very pleased to see release rates that are sensible. To finally end this madness and mismanagement of the Lakes we now need a formal drought control plan that specifies 3600cfs anytime Lake Thurmond is below 328'. The main reason a formal written plan is needed is so we can restore confidence in the lakes and end the destruction of the economy of the lake communities. Without this in writing people will naturally be afraid that the Corps will repeat past history and the economy will suffer the consequences.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

NO ONE NEEDS 4000CFS FROM THURMOND

We asked for a copy of all requests for going to 4000cfs. There were no such requests from any businesses or public interests along the Savannah River. The only requests were from government entities with "sky is falling" type thinking. None of these govenment agencies knows a way to make water with a dam so their imagined concerns go away when you tell them we will pass on everything that comes in from mother nature. And our porposal for 3600cfs anytime the lakes are 2' low does just that. All that is needed here is for these agencies to be a little patient and let the lakes refill. From that point on the releases from Lake Thurmond would no longer be restricted. The Corps can go to any rate they wish until the level drops more than 2'.

We need for our congressmen and state governments to demand responsible behavior in controlling lake releases. Releasing more water than comes in from mother nature is irresponsible. And dropping lake levels to the point that it destroys the economics of communities around the lakes is also irresponsible. Responsible behavior demands that the Corps base their release rates on the amount of water available from rain. The benefit of daming water to form a reservoir like Lake Thurmond is to average river flows over a years time to avoid both floods and greatly diminished river flows. The mistake made by the Corps and "sky is falling" type government agencies who advise the Corps is they try to put more water downstream than is provided by mother nature. This leads to costly drops in lake levels and endangers all downstream interests by raising the possibility of destroying the lakes.

We need to continue demanding that the Corps return to 3600cfs until the lakes refill.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

CORPS STILL ISN'T GETTTING THE MESSAGE

Colonel Kertis was honored at a picnic in Lincolnton last week because of a number of things he did in 2008 to help with the drought. He stopped all flows from Thurmond dam at one point when the river downstream was swollen from rain. Later he stopped all releases from Lake Hartwell for several weeks to rebalance the lakes. And he has maintained release rates below those required by the drought plan. However the Corps is still falling short of managing the lakes in the manner needed. The communities around the lakes still suffer huge economic losses because of lost confidence in the way the lakes are managed. And the communities along the Savannah River are still at risk of losing the river flows they need should the drought continue or return.

Colonel Kertis demonstrated his lack of understanding of our needs in several statements. At one point he defended continuing releases of 4000cfs vs 3600cfs by stating that this only represents 4" a month or a foot of level over the summer months. This is indicative of the kind of thinking that has led to depleting the lakes to the bottom of the conservation pool in the past. These incidences also happened only 4" a month extended over a couple of years time (24 months times 4" a month leads to 8' loss in level which in turn leads to 16' loss when you drop the lakes 4 ft in the fall and don't reduce flows until the lakes drop to trigger level 2).

Further Colonel Kertis justified holding the lakes at 4,000cfs by indicating pressure from downstream interests to increase flows. It would be far better if he told downstream interests to be patient and let him refill the lakes before increasing flows. Once the lakes are full they can have any release rate they wish.

Colonel Kertis promised copies of letters and/or names and addresses of those who are insisting on higher flows. That was Tuesday and to date we have not received these. If we do not receive these by the middle of next week we will request this information under the freedom of information act.

To sum up, please continue to ask your congressmen and the Corps "Why not go to 3600cfs now?"