Wednesday, September 23, 2009

WHO'S AT THE CONTROLS

If you look at the Corps' behavior on our drought control plan it becomes obvious they are reacting to some outside force rather than using common sense and doing what is right. In my opinion the ultimate cause for the Corps' refusal to change the plan and adopt our recommendations is the heavy hand of the Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. When we requested through the Freedom of Information Act all correspondence requesting more than 3600cfs from Lake Thurmond, no one had a problem except this organization. Their letters showed total lack of logic. They demanded certain minimum flows from Lake Thurmond without regard for the fact that this flow rate might exhaust the capability to maintain predictable flows from the dam. And of course such a demand totally ignores the impact of such flows on the lake levels and economic/recreational aspects of the lakes.

Logic demands that releases from the Lakes take into account the amount of water coming in from rain and the impacts on both sides of the dam from releases versus rain inputs. But the Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service letters show no concern for this balance; they look only at river flows. Following their dictates often destroys the interests of stakeholders around the lakes. It also puts downstream interests in danger of not being able to maintain acceptable river flows when the lakes reach the bottom of their conservation pool. If we were to mirror their behavior we would show no concern for what happens below the dam and demand the lakes stay at full pool regardless of what this does to dam releases. Obviously everyone would be aghast at us if we acted that way. So why are we not aghast at the behavior of the Department of the Interior.

Our plight is very similar to that of the farmers in California who no longer have farms because the environmental protection agency demands their water be diverted to protect the Smelt fish which is becoming extinct. Hannity of Fox News recently did a special showing the plight of the california farmers. We need for him to do the same here. Please send emails and letters to Hannity and see if he will take up our cause along with that of the California farmers being destroyed by protecting Smelt.