The article from Billy Birdwell on deepening the harbor and
its impact on releases from Lake Thurmond (and therefore Hartwell as well) is
inaccurate and misleading. I doubt it is a deliberate attempt to
misinform but regardless, it shows a dangerous lack of understanding of the
variables involved. Competent engineering demands a full grasp of what
impacts the basins and the harbor. That is not demonstrated here.
First off, Lake Thurmond Releases have no significant impact
on the oxygen levels in the harbor. The tides bring in 10 times the water
that comes in from the river and thereby the ocean, not the river, controls the
oxygen levels in the harbor. Besides, detailed analyses of oxygen content
of the Savannah River at Clyo (last sampling point before the harbor) shows
releases from Lake Thurmond have no significant impact on the amount of oxygen
in the river as it enters the harbor. As a result Mr. Bailey’s article
draws the correct conclusion but for the wrong reasons.
Secondly, the promise of no impact on release rates may not be true. Concurrent with deepening the harbor the Corps plans to put in a multi-million dollar fish ladder
around the Augusta lock and dam so sturgeon can spawn in the Augusta Shoals (a
location they have not been able to reach since the 1930’s). This inserts
a new controlling factor for lake releases. Once the sturgeon are in the
shoals, minimum release rates will be dictated by how much flow there is in the
shoals. Again Mr. Bailey’s article shows a serious lack of knowledge of
the system.
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