A plan by the Army Corps of Engineers to retain more water in Lake Lanier north of Atlanta won't affect drought management tactics already in place for Thurmond Lake and other Savannah River reservoirs.
"It is a totally separate river basin over there," said corps spokesman Billy Birdwell, of the Savannah District, which manages Thurmond Lake. "How they deal with their issues and how we deal with ours are entirely separate."
On Sunday, the corps Mobile District, which manages the Chattahoochee River and its chain of lakes, implemented a plan to retain 50 percent of the river's inflows in reservoirs. Its usual policy is to retain 30 percent.
The idea is to keep more water stored in the lakes to supply drinking water for millions of residents. The plan required approval from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service because of its impact on endangered coastal species such as sturgeon.
The Savannah River and Thurmond Lake adhere to a four-tiered drought plan in which releases through Thurmond Dam are incrementally decreased as water levels fall, Mr. Birdwell said.
The Savannah River is at Level 2, but the dry outlook makes it likely that further flow reductions will be mandatory later in the year.
"We're in Level 2 but already pretending we're in Level 3 and releasing below what we could release at Level 3," Mr. Birdwell said, noting that the corps' conservation efforts include voluntarily cutting downstream releases to 3,600 cubic feet per second, even though Level 2 water levels allow the release of 4,000 cubic feet per second.
Thurmond Lake's full pool is 330 feet above sea level. Tuesday's level was 320.8, more than 5 feet lower than it was a year ago. Its low point for 2007 occurred Christmas Day, when the lake was at 316.18.
Even with the new conservation plan in place for Lake Lanier, projections indicate that reservoir could still fall 2 to 7 feet.
Associated Press reports were used in this story.
Reach Rob Pavey at (706) 868-1222, ext. 119, or rob.pavey@augustachronicle.com.
DROUGHT MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THURMOND LAKE
FULL POOL: 330 feet above sea level
DROUGHT LEVEL 1: At 326 feet above sea level; releases cut to 4,200 cubic feet per second
DROUGHT LEVEL 2: At 324 feet above sea level, releases cut to 4,000 cubic feet per second
DROUGHT LEVEL 3: At 316 feet above sea level, releases cut to 3,800 cubic feet per second
DROUGHT LEVEL 4: At 312 feet above sea level, releases are limited to inflows upstream
Note: Releases are through Thurmond Dam into the Savannah River
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As the sun enters the next phase of reduced sunspot activity we'll have more rain in the area and the lake will be full for a few years. Just like before. (hint: the sky isn't falling)
Incorrect Pat, the shift in weather has all ready indicated that less rain this summer and even with more initial hurrricane season is approaching, doesn't mean more rainfall for us, it means more dry weather. If you have noticed the hurricane season from last year, it flooded many other states, but ours remained below average for water.
Deborah, haven't you heard that past performance is no guarantee of future success? Nevertheless, I agree with you that this summer is setting up to be another dry one. I haven't heard Sonny on the radio yet telling us to shower with a friend to save water. Nor telling us not to flush the toilet so often. But it would be a good idea to use water responsibly.
Augusta water usage has nothing to do with lake levels. What strikes me is they would let the lake go down 38 ft. before having the sense to match outflow to inflow. By that time, hundreds of millions of $ have been lost between Hartwell and Thurmond. The energy they generate is important but that income is nothing in comparison to thriving lakefront recreation.