TEST OF CORPS' INTENTIONS TOWARD PROTECTING RECREATION HAS BEGUN

We wrote in our blog on May 25th, "TIME TO CORRECT DROUGHT PLAN IS NOW,  NOT AFTER THE LAKES HAVE DROPPED".  Apparently this fell on deaf ears because the current issue of Balancing the Basin indicates no intention of changing from past practices.  They project the lakes will drop 3.5 ft by mid August with no requirement to modify release rates until the lakes drop more than 4'.

As we've discussed many times a 4' drop in lake level before decreasing release rates causes destruction of recreation.  From that point the lake will drop more than 10' in a severe drought even if minimum release rates are initiated.  Following is a repeat of our recommendations for protecting recreation along with all the other concerns the Corps is supposed to be protecting for the Savannah River Basin.

1.  Maintain lake levels at full pool as long as this can be done without dropping release rates below 3600cfs.  In other words balance input and output in such a fashion that the lakes stay full rather than allowing the lakes to drop several feet before becoming concerned about lake levels.
2.  Once the lakes drop more than 2’ with a release rate of 3600cfs, maintain 3600cfs (3100 in winter months) until the lakes return to full pool.
3.  Anytime the lakes are down more than 2’ and the river is swollen from heavy rains, shut off flows from the dams until the river flows return to normal.  This will help minimize the amount of time reduced release rates are needed.

As noted before, all this would be a natural happening if the Corps followed the same logic Duke Power uses on Lake Keowee.  There the drought plan is based on never dropping the lakes more than 10' even in a severe drought.  They accomplish this by using the data gathered from the droughts of record to design their release rates.  Why we can't get the Corps to uphold their responsibility to protect recreation along with all their other concerns remains a mystery.