LH660 Stays the Course in 2010
By Tom Coley – Chairman, Board of Directors

Although the lake is up as of this writing, there are many challenges before the Lake Hartwell Community. However, with these challenges there is also great opportunity. The Lake Hartwell 660 Coalition (LH660C) continues to sound the alarm. Until we have changes in both information and philosophy
within the US Army Corps of Engineers and more importantly a change in authorization mandates from
the United States Congress, we are as vulnerable today to drought conditions and the disastrous Upper Savannah River lake level management as we have been in the past.

We believe that the key to making good policy decisions is having accurate information and education based on scientific data being fed into sound models that can guide the policymaking for the entire Savannah River Basin. The LH660C has continued the work initiated by its predecessor, the Lake Hartwell Chamber and Municipal Coalition, to facilitate The Lake Hartwell Economic Impact Study conducted by
the Strom Thurmond Institute of Clemson University. This was an unprecedented study to determine the loss of economic activity and growth around the shores of Lake Hartwell as it relates to specific drops in lake levels. It was funded by the six lake shore counties (three in Georgia and three in South Carolina)
and the USACOE. There is also a similar study in the planning stages for Lake Thurmond funded by a private entity and facilitated by a local Lake Thurmond advocacy group. LH660C supports such a study
and wishes the best for that endeavor.  

LH660C’s immediate goal for this year is to facilitate the work of the Savannah River Downstream Flow Taskforce. This is a coalition of stake holders along the entire Savannah River Basin consisting of public agencies, private entities and businesses. It is sanctioned and supported by US Congressmen Paul Broun of Georgia and Gresham Barrett of South Carolina. After broad input and several meetings, Georgia Tech and other institutions of higher learning in the region have completed the scope of work and are ready to move forward. The goal of this study is to scientifically approach the question of what is the minimum downstream flow that would be equally fair to all stake holders in the Savannah River Basin in times of severe drought. Our next step is to seek funding for the study from stake holders in both the public and private sectors.

At the end of the day, we believe that these three studies (Lake Hartwell Economic Impact Study, Lake Thurmond Economic Impact Study and the Minimum Downstream Flow Study) standing equally side by side will give decision makers the necessary information and tools to affect a new management policy as
to lake levels in the Upper Savannah River Basin. We believe that maintaining full pool lake levels on Lake Hartwell and Lake Thurmond will provide a safety net for the entire Savannah River Basin. If we collect good scientific data, use sound economic and hydrological models and marshal solid support from constituents and stake holders, the USACOE under new mandates from congress could change the way our precious water resource is managed in the Savannah River Basin. Then we can all enjoy mutual economic growth and prosperity and at the same time keep a reasonable ecological balance along the river.
 

Protect Our Lake Levels
By Juan Brown, MD

Mike Gray co-authored this guest column before his sudden and unexpected death. Protection of lake levels and understanding the demands of downstream flow remain the central core of his work and his
work must continue. His vision is even more important now because of possible new demands being
placed on Lake Hartwell. We need to remain focused on his dream of a full and healthy lake system.

We are all grateful for the recent rains that filled lakes to the brim but the Army Corps of Engineers (COE) drought-management plan for the Savannah River Basin remains unchanged. Many lake organizations are voicing opinions but this can lead to confusion. 

The Lake Hartwell 660 Coalition was organized to stop the dumping of water into the Atlantic without any scientific protection of lake levels. The drought-management plan is based on sacrificing lake levels to maintain flows downstream during the most severe part of a drought. It does not protect the water until
Lake Hartwell gets 14 feet down and our economy is destroyed. The Corps says that economics are not part of the management plan even though it introduced economics with its public emphasis of power production and money generated for the United States Treasury. 

The Lake Hartwell 660 Coalition supports the economic study originated and funded by the GA/SC Municipal and Chamber Coalition. The Strom Thurmond Institute (STI) is tasked with documenting economics associated with low lake levels during a drought. Maybe this will prove our financial losses
are greater than the Corps’ power-production earnings. We have never known the Corps to ignore good scientific information that would benefit the basin. 

The drought plan that is currently used is based on flawed input and information, as noted by scientists throughout the region, and the recent drought of record revealed this weakness. Because Col. Edward J. Kertis, COE commander, “stepped out of the box” with his common-sense approach to management, a disaster of significant proportions was averted. We cannot expect this type of intervention in the future. 

The media are reporting new federal funds are available which some organizations suggest be used to continue the incomplete comprehensive study started 11 years ago, reportedly at a cost of $6 million. 

The 660 Coalition suggests that if this study continues it must meet stringent criteria before the states
add financial support. The data used in the study must be scientific data and require peer review by the
STI and/or Georgia Tech Water Institute (GTWI). It must identify specifically what is to be studied without later additions. There must be a completion date and estimate of the total cost before it starts.

At the request of U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett (S.C.) and Rep. Paul Braun (Ga.), the Lake Hartwell 660 Coalition has facilitated three meetings with scientists, industry leaders and government officials involved with the Savannah River Basin. Very simply, they are going to arrive at a method to evaluate and understand what the minimal flow rate is for the basin during a severe drought. This study will be accomplished by STI and GTWI working together with the Corps and will be funded by private interested parties. 

Monitors can record the amount of water entering the Savannah River Basin. Georgia has now placed monitors at all tributaries that enter the basin but South Carolina has not done so. If the amount of water entering the basin is known then we can monitor the flow to the Atlantic Ocean. Computer software is available to simulate unrestricted river flow without dams or lakes and can evaluate different scenarios and suggest solutions using a simple common-sense approach. The Corps comprehensive study does not evaluate this because it does not have this scientific information available. With this information, power production and peak power requirements could be increased. Downstream will be protected and during another severe drought, plentiful water will be available for an extended period of time. 

We can’t ask our congressional delegation to help us when we have no earthly idea what we want them to do. If we know what is coming into the lakes and if we know the minimum flow rate required downstream, then we should be able to control the flow for the benefit of all. This will not require congressional intervention and everyone should benefit. 

Moving Forward with the Savannah River Basin Study

There is an old saying “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day.  If you teach a man to fish, you
feed him for a lifetime.”  Cutting back the Clarks Hill Dam discharge from 3200 cfs to 2800 cfs in late 2008 certainly gave us a fish.  But for us to be taught to fish, we need adaptive policy so the planned discharge is always appropriate to keep Lake Hartwell (and other vital points in the Savannah River Basin) at a usable level. 

The Lake Hartwell 660 Coalition (LH660C) is attempting to do just that with its Savannah River Basin Study.  The LH660C is working with the Georgia Water Resources Institute at Georgia Tech (GWRI) and the South Carolina Water Resources Center at Clemson University to build a model that will assess the economic impact of different discharge management scenarios under different assumptions of rainfall in
the Savannah River Basin.  Clemson will be creating the Socio-Economic Model which will identify the benefits to the surrounding counties in Georgia and South Carolina derived when the lake is at various levels. This will help quantify the economic impact when the lake is down 5 feet or 10 feet.  Georgia Tech will be creating the other components of the overall model – the Hydro-Climatic Database, the Watershed Hydrology Study and the River-Reservoir System Assessment and Planning.  

The GWRI will use historical rainfall as well as water level and flow observations to create a model of how the basin channels water into the Savannah.  It will create a model of the basin taking into account rain runoff, retention, percolation and evaporation as well as point-to-point flow characteristics.  It will then add
in withdrawals, returns, dam management policies and environmental requirements to form a Savannah River Basin model.  The Socio-Economic Model will be tied in to help understand the economic impact resulting from various levels at key points (e.g. Hartwell Dam).

The overall basin framework model will initially will recast the lake levels based on historical data and existing management policies.  A comparison of the these recast numbers to historical observations will provide validation of the model.  The model can be used at this point to recast historical values based on different management policies.  We will be able to observe what would have happened to down stream levels if the Clarks Hill discharge had been cut to 3000 cfs in 2007.  The results may not always be acceptable to every stakeholder in the basin but at least it can be examined.  Going forward, the model
will allow stakeholders to consider various climatic scenarios and various management policies for each
of those scenarios.  The end result should allow the stakeholders to develop policy based on numerous inputs and circumstances that will insure levels within the basin remain to meet basic requirements of all stakeholders and to generate the most benefit for the entire basin.