Barb Shelley knew things were bad when a neighbor jokingly told her it was time to mow the grass around her boat.

"It's almost 3 feet tall, and it used to be water," the Thurmond Lake resident said, adding that most docks and boats have been high and dry for months.

As lake levels continue to fall, and the Army Corps of Engineers mulls a plan to reduce flows into the Savannah River, drought problems are taking center stage with lake residents.

Next week, during a public meeting arranged by Friends of the Savannah River Basin and U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, residents will have an opportunity to speak directly to the corps and its water-management team.

"We want people to hear directly from the people who run this lake so they can see what's going on," said Mrs. Shelley, who lives in Savannah Lakes Village and is a facilitator with the Friends organization.

One of the presenters will be Col. Edward J. Kertis, the commander of the corps' Savannah District, which is in charge of drought-management policies, lake-level predictions and the ongoing environmental assessment that could lead to reductions in flow into the Savannah River.

Corps spokesman Billy Birdwell said the water-management team will be available to answer questions and hear from residents. Discussions will include the planned reduction of minimum flows from the lake into the Savannah River above Augusta.

The corps is completing an environmental assessment before it determines whether it can implement the new flows, which would fall from 3,600 cubic feet per second to 3,100 cubic feet per second on a weekly average.

The corps has received more than 200 comments on the plan, which is designed to slow the decline of lake levels while still balancing water needs with downstream users such as Augusta and its industries and wastewater treatment facilities.

At the lake, however, many residents are focused on the impact there, Mrs. Shelley said.

"All of the water companies, and numerous businesses, all sent letters trying to emphasize how lake levels affect the economics," she said.

With municipal water intakes unusable, boat ramps closed and many small businesses -- and large real estate interests -- feeling the pinch of low water levels, a strong attendance is almost a guarantee, she said.

"We'd guess there could be 400 to 500 people," she said. "But we chose the gym at McCormick Middle School because it holds 1,200."