Ten years ago the Corps had all kinds of excuses why they had to hold to the drought plan that keeps destroying our lake levels. Now, after we have debunked each of these excuses and after repeated droughts involving years of safe operation at 3600cfs release rate, we still get no relief. BASICALLY, ALTHOUGH CONGRESS CLEARLY INDICATED RECREATION AS ONE OF THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES, THE CORPS IGNORES RECREATION.
Give them a problem with power generation, water supply, water quality, fish and wildlife, or flood control and they have a plan in place to make changes in release rates or lake levels to protect these. Give them a problem with real estate along the shores of our lakes, docks, marinas, campgrounds, etc and they will assure you these are not their responsibility. In their minds recreation has nothing to do with these. This is like saying wings have nothing to do with flying an airplane. Unless and until we get them to accept these items as recreation the Corps will have an excuse to ignore us during a drought.
WE'VE TRIED EVERYTHING WE KNOW TO GET THE CORPS TO BE REASONABLE WITH RELEASE RATES DURING DROUGHTS AND PROTECT RECREATION. BUT THEY SIMPLY IGNORE US. THE BEST OPTION I KNOW OF IS TO SOMEHOW GET OUR CONGRESSMEN TO UNDERSTAND THIS SCENARIO. UNTIL THEY DO THE CORPS SIMPLY SNOWS THEM EACH TIME THEY LOOK INTO OUR PROBLEM. FIRST THE CORPS INSISTS THEY NEED A MAJOR STUDY TO DETERMINE SAFE RELEASE RATES. IN REALITY THEY ALEADY KNOW ENOUGH FROM YEARS OF EXPERIENCE TO PROTECT RECREATION BY CHANGING RELEASE RATES. THEN THE CORPS DOES DOUBLE TALK ABOUT REAL ESTATE ETC. HAVING NOTHING TO DO WITH RECREATION.
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Corps Incompetent Regarding Protecting Recreation
Hate to be blunt and argumentative but the Corps is simply not protecting recreation on the three lakes of the Savannah River Basin. I could blame the commander but this has been true for all the Colonels as far back as I can remember. Recreation is an obligation assigned the Corps by congress over 25 years ago. It includes homes built around the shore line, boat docks for people living at the lake, marinas for people living elsewhere who want to leave their boats here , boat ramps for temporary access, restaurants accessible by water, and campgrounds, motels and hotels for people coming for a short or extended getaway. Ask the corps what recreation is and they will deny all these. Basically, so far as recreation is concerned, the Corps of Engineers has proved to be totally incompetent.
The Corps is also guilty of doing damage to both downstream and lake stakeholders at the same time. Any time the Savannah River is swollen from heavy rains below lake Thurmond and the lakes are in drought condition the Corps should be decreasing or stopping releases until the river returns to normal flows. Rather than decreasing or stopping releases at these times the Corps demonstrates it's incompetence and continues the current release rate. This not only floods people downstream but it also drops lake levels unnecessarily thereby multiplying the damages to recreation caused by drought.
For anyone who may doubt this analysis simply look at all the droughts since 2000 and ask yourself what are the criteria used by the Corps to decide release rates during a drought. You will find hydro power, water quality, water supply, fish and wildlife, and flood control as concerns voiced by the corps to justify their release rates and winter drawdown. You will not find any instance where release rates or drawdown were modified to protect recreation.
The Corps is also guilty of doing damage to both downstream and lake stakeholders at the same time. Any time the Savannah River is swollen from heavy rains below lake Thurmond and the lakes are in drought condition the Corps should be decreasing or stopping releases until the river returns to normal flows. Rather than decreasing or stopping releases at these times the Corps demonstrates it's incompetence and continues the current release rate. This not only floods people downstream but it also drops lake levels unnecessarily thereby multiplying the damages to recreation caused by drought.
For anyone who may doubt this analysis simply look at all the droughts since 2000 and ask yourself what are the criteria used by the Corps to decide release rates during a drought. You will find hydro power, water quality, water supply, fish and wildlife, and flood control as concerns voiced by the corps to justify their release rates and winter drawdown. You will not find any instance where release rates or drawdown were modified to protect recreation.
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Comment Directed against Corps in recent Balancing the Basin
As a stakeholder in the SRB i disagree with your statement that you are prevented by law from holding a release rate of 3600cfs without a TA. When the Corps drew up the plan to destroy the lakes one at a time (Russell, followed by Thurmond, followed by Hartwell) in the evernt of a drought that goes past the conservation pool limitations, you specified you would use a release rate of 3600cfs throughout which you declared to have no significant environmental impact and therefore no TA was required for this addendum to the plan.
As a stakeholder i recognize you have no intention of protecting recreation which is a responsibility given the Corps by Congress back around 1985. First you deny consideration of the primary factors in recreation namely all the homes around the lakes and campgrounds and marinas. By denying those you also prevent any other sources of recreation such as hotels etc. by making our reputation so bad no such business would ever consider an investment here. Second you use every excuse in the book (power generation was used this past summer) to justify your release rates. Strict adherence to the drought plan is in play at the moment. Years past the corps claimed all kinds of stakeholders such as Fish and Wildlife and SC DNR refused you permission to decrease rates but in each case as we asked these stakeholders they denied any such restriction being placed on you by them. Years past you claimed dissolved oxygen in the harbor was a controlling factor but when we researched that we found the ocean tides control DO rather than river inflows. In business and industry such behaviour would be designated as incompetent if due to ignorance or dishonest if deliberate attempts to mislead lake stakeholders. Neither is complimentary of the Corps and both represent a need to make a huge change in the way the basin is being operated.
The very title of Engineer tells me that you are not restricted to following a written procedure without question. That title indicates you should be advising Congress of what changes are needed rather than waiting for instructions from Congress.
As a stakeholder i recognize you have no intention of protecting recreation which is a responsibility given the Corps by Congress back around 1985. First you deny consideration of the primary factors in recreation namely all the homes around the lakes and campgrounds and marinas. By denying those you also prevent any other sources of recreation such as hotels etc. by making our reputation so bad no such business would ever consider an investment here. Second you use every excuse in the book (power generation was used this past summer) to justify your release rates. Strict adherence to the drought plan is in play at the moment. Years past the corps claimed all kinds of stakeholders such as Fish and Wildlife and SC DNR refused you permission to decrease rates but in each case as we asked these stakeholders they denied any such restriction being placed on you by them. Years past you claimed dissolved oxygen in the harbor was a controlling factor but when we researched that we found the ocean tides control DO rather than river inflows. In business and industry such behaviour would be designated as incompetent if due to ignorance or dishonest if deliberate attempts to mislead lake stakeholders. Neither is complimentary of the Corps and both represent a need to make a huge change in the way the basin is being operated.
The very title of Engineer tells me that you are not restricted to following a written procedure without question. That title indicates you should be advising Congress of what changes are needed rather than waiting for instructions from Congress.
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
PERTINENT COMMENT ON BALANCING THE BASIN
If you read the comments on Balancing The Basin you have already seen this. If not you may be interested in an exchange from a member of Save Our Lakes Now with the Corps. This comes after numerous back and forth comments between one member of Save Our Lakes Now and the Corps:
First and foremost you have abandoned protecting recreation (meaning the full
infrastructure that provides for recreation on our lakes) when you allow the lakes to drop 10 ft or 8 ft and make no effort to get the lakes back to normal fill levels. Second, you or someone has changed the trigger levels shown on your site to conform with what you are now saying which is dishonest. Third, trying to use flow rates in the broad river to tell you whether the basin is in drought is absurd. Lake levels give a very accurate picture of where we are in a drought and are far more reliable. It is my hope that Save Our Lakes NOw will continue to bring your demonstrated refusal to protect Recreation to the attention of our politicians until we get relief from your lack of respect for lake interests.
First and foremost you have abandoned protecting recreation (meaning the full
infrastructure that provides for recreation on our lakes) when you allow the lakes to drop 10 ft or 8 ft and make no effort to get the lakes back to normal fill levels. Second, you or someone has changed the trigger levels shown on your site to conform with what you are now saying which is dishonest. Third, trying to use flow rates in the broad river to tell you whether the basin is in drought is absurd. Lake levels give a very accurate picture of where we are in a drought and are far more reliable. It is my hope that Save Our Lakes NOw will continue to bring your demonstrated refusal to protect Recreation to the attention of our politicians until we get relief from your lack of respect for lake interests.
Saturday, February 4, 2017
CORPS IGNORING RECREATION CONCERNS
The Corps has just increased release rates from Thurmond from 3600cfs to 4000cfs which is way beyond what is called for in the drought plan. This is destructive to the Recreational Infrastructure of our lakes and is indicative of the fact that the Corps has no desire to protect Recreation interests.
In the past when we've pleaded for the Corps to decrease release rates during severe droughts we've been told that the Corps cannot deviate from the guidelines of the current drought plan. Now they are proving this to be a lie. With the lakes in severe drought conditions the Corps is adding to that damage by increasing release rates to the river from the 3600cfs called for in the drought plan to 4000cfs.
Currently Lake Interests have no voice with the Corps. We desperately need assistance from our congressmen or governors to get the Corps to listen to reason. If you agree that this needs to change make your thoughts known to congress and your state governor. Talking to the Corps appears to be a waste of time. They show no intention of listening to recreational concerns.
In the past when we've pleaded for the Corps to decrease release rates during severe droughts we've been told that the Corps cannot deviate from the guidelines of the current drought plan. Now they are proving this to be a lie. With the lakes in severe drought conditions the Corps is adding to that damage by increasing release rates to the river from the 3600cfs called for in the drought plan to 4000cfs.
Currently Lake Interests have no voice with the Corps. We desperately need assistance from our congressmen or governors to get the Corps to listen to reason. If you agree that this needs to change make your thoughts known to congress and your state governor. Talking to the Corps appears to be a waste of time. They show no intention of listening to recreational concerns.
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