WHAT DOES THE OFFICIAL DROUGHT PLAN SAY ABOUT DROUGHT CONTROL FOR OUR LAKES

Corps representatives repeatedly try to claim that Save Our Lakes Now statements are untrue.  This is especially true when one of our group makes comments to their Balancing the Basin Publications.  I thought it might be beneficial to highlight a few of these issues and show what the official Corps Drought Plan has to say.  Following are a few illuminating excerpts from the official Drought Contingency Plan published by the Corps in 1989. I will give a few more on the next blog posting.

Have you heard the Corps say they can't make any changes to the plan? 

• QUOTING FROM PAGE 2 OF THE PLAN:"THIS IS A DYNAMIC PLAN, SUBJECT TO CHANGE AS WARRANTED BY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.  AMONG THE ITEMS THAT MAY BE CAUSE FOR RECONSIDRATION ARE: ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE WITH THE CURRENT DROUGHT, FURTHER STUDIES OF SALINITY INTRUSION IN SAVANNAH HARBOR, CHANGING WATER SUPPY NEEDS, IMPROVEMENTS TO WATER INTAKES AND THE UNCERTAIN FUTURE OPERATIONAL PLAN A THE SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT"

First this implies that change based on what you learn from previous droughts is to be expected.  But with 4 plus major droughts since that time the Corps has refused to make any changes based on what they learned. Admittedly they have suggested studies but such studies can never provide the kind of quality information actual droughts of the whole basin can.

Have you heard the Corps say they can't reduce flows because of power quotas?

• QUOTING FROM PAGE 9 OF THE PLAN:"HYDROPOWER OPERATIONS:"ALL POWER PRODUCED AT FEDERAL PROJECTS (EXCEPT TVA AND ST. STEPHENS) IN THE STATES OF GEORGIA, SOUTH CAROLINA, NORTH CAROLINA, VIRGINIA, FLORIDA, KENTUCKY, TENNESSEE, WEST VIRGINIA, AND ALABAMA IS MARKETED BY THE SOUTHEASTERN POWER ADMINISTRATION (SEPA). SEPA COMBINES THE THREE SAVANNAH DISTRICT PROJECTS WITH THE SEVEN PROJECTS IN THE MOBILE DISTRICT TO FORM THE GEORGIA-ALABAMA SYSTEM. HYDROPOWER MAY BE SUPPLIED BY ANY COMBINATION OF PROJECTS WITHIN THE TEN-PLANT SYSTEM.  THE THREE SAVANNAH DISTRICT PROJECTS PRODUCED.------"

Save Our Lakes Now has repeatedly pleaded with the corps to back off power generation quotas when the lakes start into drought only to have the corps claim that would mess up SEPA.  In fact SEPA can draw from the other seven projects anytime we are in a drought and quotas can be ignored without damage to the system.