The Anderson Independant Mail Newspaper in Anderson came out with an article on the 13th that basically said droughts have small affect on economies. No one in their right mind could look at the thousands of homes lining Hartwell and Thurmond and think the price small. If the author were to talk to the dock builders that went out of business and marinas that lost BIG and the fishing enthusiasts that had to watch tournaments turned away and the weekenders/vacationers who no longer had use of the lake he would find a lot of people do not agree with any such conclusion. I guess what the people studying the problem are really saying is it did not affect their job or their economy. Sorry we couldn't arrange for them to fully participate in the losses.
I have heard that Duke Power is about to complete a similar study on Lake Thurmond. If so I would question the validity of their study without seeing it because I find they have not even talked with Marina owners. I hope the people responsible for this study realize that their actions will have a direct affect on jobs, tourism, and local economies around the Lakes. As with the findings that are rumored for the Lake Hartwell study I personally have to question anyone who claims that droughts have only a small effect economically. Just looking at real estate, anyone who understands lake shore real estate would agree droughts like the one of 2008 decrease lot values by at least $100,000. There are over 4,000 such lots around Thurmond which by itself represents a loss of almost half a billion dollars. Looking past that and saying the loses are small is down right irresponsible and not appreciated by Lake Stakeholders who personally are suffering such losses.
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