After spending Millions and several years time trying to better the future prosperity of our lake area we still are at the mercy of the Corps. They are to our lakes the same as the EPA is to the future of fossil fuels. Rather than considering the prosperity of communities around the lakes the Corps is using guidelines that ignore the financial impact of their actions. Just as changing EPA regulations to more reasonable thinking has led to a huge impact on the financial health of the US, similar changes to drought management practices around our lakes could lead to fantastic growth of lake communities.
An excellent example is the way they are handling the lock and dam below Augusta and North Augusta. Beautiful river front property can greatly impact a city and does so for many cities around the country. By ignoring financial impact the Corps is making their modifications in a manner that will do serious harm to the attractiveness and value of the riverfront property currently shared by both cities during a severe drought.
Regarding the lakes, ignoring financial impacts means the Corps will allow the lakes to drop 2' below full pool before they initiate reduced releases during a drought. Otherwise they would start drought protection immediately upon the lakes falling below full pool. And ignoring financial impacts has allowed the Corps to delay initiation of the improved drought protection they did come up with till next year sometime. We are just lucky we haven't experienced a severe drought like the ones of the last 20 years.
Looking to the future, a severe drought will destroy the beauty of the riverfront between Augusta and North Augusta. Once that happens there is only one source of water to better the problem and that is from drought starved lakes. Current Corps regs will prevent them using lake releases to help but once property values between Augusta and North Augusta are being destroyed anything is possible in terms of congress or someone demanding changes.
No comments:
Post a Comment