By Mike Gray
Publisher/Owner
jmgray@carol.net
U.S. Congressman Gresham Barrett knows well the Savannah River Basin and its impor-tance to South Carolina. His constituents live,
work, and play all along the basin. From Aiken to Oconee, Congressman Barrett represents South Carolinians who depend on the water in the Savannah River Basin for drinking, re-creation, and commerce. Congressman Barrett is also aware of tensions inherent in discus-sions of the basin’s water, its use and preser-vation. Communication among stakeholders is essential when navigating the complex water issues that face us today. Congressman Barrett organized a meeting of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which manages Lakes Hartwell, Russell, and Thurmond and their dams, along with community leaders actively addressing water concerns along the Savannah River Basin.
This meeting took place on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 2008. Attendees included Congress-man Barrett; Colonel Edward Kertis, com-mander of the Corps’ Savannah District; Virgil Hobbs, Hartwell Operations Manager; Mike Gray, representing Chamber and Municipal
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Coalitions surrounding Hartwell Lake; Juan Brown, Anderson Chamber of Commerce; Joe Brenner and Mike Massey, Lake Hartwell Association, and Mark Rhodes, Surfside Store. Colonel Kertis was also accompanied by a team of experts, including hydrology. As commander of the Savannah District, Colonel Kertis must balance flood prevention, drought, power generation, environmental preservation, as well as other issues in making and implementing policy for the Savannah River Basin. By atten-ding the meeting, he signaled his willingness to listen to concerns of community stakeholders who live and work with the Savannah River’s water daily.
Colonel Kertis explained how the Corps was addressing current drought issues and dis-cussed projections for rainfall and water levels. He asserted that the Southeastern Power Admin-istration, which uses water from Hartwell Lake to generate power, is losing millions of dollars as a result of this drought. The minimum out-flow from Hart-well Lake of 3600 CFS, estab-lished during this drought, is not enough to meet genera-tion requirements to satisfy SEPA’s con-tractual agreement with customers. The colonel reported Hartwell Lake had risen 4 feet, from its
See Magic Numbers, Page 4
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