CORPS CLAIM ABOUT HAVING TO MEET SEPA QUOTAS IS NOT TRUE

Common knowledge from multiple sources have assured us that SEPA can live with whatever  gallons per second is forecasted by USACE.  In the past we have had excuses of environmental impact, dissolved oxygen levels in the harbor, industrial needs for water, etc. etc. causing the Corps to follow the current drought plan.  One by one we have eliminated these excuses by talking to the experts on these subjects and as a result the only excuse the Corps now has for not dropping to 3600cfs when the lakes start down is power quotas with SEPA.

We knew from the past that top management from SEPA told colonel Kertis when he was commander of the SRB that they preferred the lakes remain as full as possible so they could call on us for peaking power at times of large demand.  We know that because we were sitting in the room with Colonel Kertis when he called SEPA.  We never anticipated then that the corps would finally end up with power quotas as their only excuse or we would have done more with that statement when Kertis was here.  Since the corps is now blaming their refusal to reduce release rates to 3600cfs when the lakes start down on power quotas, we did further research on SEPA's needs. We now have found that SEPA can live with whatever release rates the Corps needs to use.

As you all know recreation is one of the issues congress has told the Corps they need to protect.  Anyone knowledgeable about our lakes knows that recreation includes all the homes built on the banks of the lakes, concessionaires such as the marinas who give access to the lakes, and the ability for the population at large to come here to enjoy all the various water sports.  We need to demand that the corps finally do their job and protect recreation.  When they use SEPA as their excuse we now know that is not a valid reason to keep destroying our lakes.