CORPS HAS SOLUTION TO LAKE LEVEL PROBLEM

The recent issue of Balancing the Basin offers a fantastic solution to our lake level problems that should be totally acceptable to all Savannah River Basin (SRB) interests.  It is really quite simple yet it answers the environmentalists desire to stay away from the ravages of a river in severe drought and fish and wildlife’s desire for more variation in river flows while taking care of the lake stakeholders desire to avoid the devastating low lake levels experienced in recent droughts.  The solution is to operate the lakes all the time the same way they do in flood stage. 

 As stated in the recent Balancing the Basin, the corps is currently varying flows as needed to maintain lake levels within an acceptable range.  This is standard operating procedure in flood stage.  If they simply use this same mode all the time with the added restriction of never dropping below 3600cfs (3100 in cold weather) all SRB interests should be taken care of.  The beauty of this approach is that it is within standard operating practice for the Corps and satisfies the various demands of all the different stakeholders.  If we combine this with dropping the lakes 2' in October rather than 4' (see previous blog), recreation would finally be protected the way it should be and the horrible loss in revenues and property values in droughts can become a thing of the past. 

 

To accomplish this we are going to have to get the operating plan for our lakes fixed now while the lakes are full rather than wait till the next drought happens.  That's going to be hard because everyone is excited now that the lakes are full.  Somehow we are going to have to get our political leaders like Jeff Duncan involved more aggressively.   And if you know a way to contact any of the candidates for Paul Broun’s office we need to make them aware as well.