Several things are very disturbing about your proposal.
1) you are showing levels for 5,000cfs to fish ladder but during severe droughts the flows will be much lower than that. Your design needs to be for the flows anticipated during the droughts of record experienced since 2001.
2) the sturgeon are no longer an endangered species. Since they have not been able to get to Thurmond dam since 1930 it is ludicrous to destroy the economics of North Augusta and Augusta in the pretense that we have to put in a fish ladder
3) As with lake levels the corps ignores economic impact of lake and river levels. I understand you feel congress has not provided that in your responsibilities. As engineers responsible for the SRB the corps should be going to congress and recommend economics be added to your concerns.
NOTE THAT PROBLEMS WITH THE RIVER LEVEL AT AUGUSTA/NORTH AUGUSTA WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY TRANSLATE TO SCREAMS FOR EXTRA RELEASES FROM THURMOND DURING A SEVERE DROUGHT LIKE THE ONES WE HAVE HAD NUMEROUS TIMES SINCE 2001.
THE ADDRESS FOR COMMENTS IS:CESAS-PD@usace.army.mil. IF YOU SEND COMMENTS THE CORPS WILL PROBABLY NEVER LET THEM SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY SO COPY JERRY CLONTZ AT bgclontz@gmail.com AND HE WILL GET THEM PUBLISHED ON THIS BLOG SITE.
