WHAT GOOD LAKE MANAGEMENT WOULD LOOK LIKE

Up to now we have simply quoted back to the Corps of Engineers what their own guidelines say for protecting recreation interests with a more reasonable drought plan.  Now that a new administration is taking charge let's take a quick look at real protection for Lakes Thurmond, Hartwell, and Russell. The basis for said protection is ending the horrific waste of fresh water and maintaining the lakes as full as possible.  At present the Corps is going at this backwards and we come close to destroying our lakes every few years as droughts occur.

To end this repeated destruction let's try a different approach:

• Tighten or eliminate the discharge of harmful pollutants to the Savannah River from all the plants below Augusta, GA. Instead of simply pumping pollutants produced by these plants directly to the river, use basic Chemical and Civil Engineering to get the levels to the point that the water is still useable downstream even during extreme droughts. As an example modern day sewage plants release potable water through such measures.
• Use the same guidelines for hydro power generation that are used for wind and solar.  Said power should be dependent on rain supply.
• Store water as necessary and modify take off points from the Savannah River for cities downstream to ensure adequate water supply in severe droughts.
• Stop trying to artificially improve on nature with controlled river flows that exceed rain inputs. Benefit to people should be the basis (eg. flood control) rather than trying to protect some plant or animal even when such protection is damaging to the public.

Using this approach would allow us to keep our lakes basically full at all times and prevent the damaging effects of ridiculous EPA or power production guidelines. Not only would this approach benefit the Savannah River Basin but it would eliminate the horrible disasters being experienced with lakes out West.