News on Hartwell
Everyone pray for rain. We desperately need it!! Here is an article I ran across.
Upstate lake levels reach critical point
By Anna Simon CLEMSON BUREAU
August 23, 2008 01:18 AM
CLEMSON -- Drought's stranglehold on the Upstate tightened further Friday when Clemson University called for voluntary water conservation on campus as Lake Hartwell continued to drop.
Lake Hartwell was at 645.38 feet above mean sea level Friday, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers data. That is more than 14 feet below full pool.
Falling below 646 feet triggered a "Severe Drought" phase of the university's drought management plan, as well as Trigger Level 3. The Corps' trigger ordinarily would further restrict flow from the dams, but the Corps already voluntarily did that last October, nearly a year ago, and no further action will be taken at this time, said Billy Birdwell, a Corps spokesman.
Hartwell came close to 646 feet last Christmas, but never fell below that level in this particular drought until this week, Birdwell said.
Corps and state officials in South Carolina and Georgia have been discussing future possibilities as the drought persists, Birdwell said. Hartwell has about 20 feet left in its active pool, but Thurmond Lake has just over four feet of active pool remaining. Without significant rain in the next few weeks, Thurmond could hit a level that would trigger greater pull on Hartwell to provide downstream flow required by the states, Birdwell said. Lake Jocassee, which was 27 feet below full pool Friday, has fallen below its minimum operating range. Duke Energy stopped making downstream releases to Hartwell two months ago, with exceptions for required testing, said Duke spokeswoman Sandra Magee. More water evaporates from Jocassee than flows in, Magee said. Duke's contract with the Corps doesn't require releases if water falls below a minimum storage level, she said. The Anderson Regional Joint Water System, which draws from Hartwell and serves 14 water providers in Anderson and Pickens counties, is at about 50 percent of normal storage and is about 40 to 60 days away from issuing mandatory restrictions if conditions don't change, said Scott Willett, executive director. The system has called for "aggressive voluntary conservation," Willett said. "We're still praying that all this blustery weather drops something on us," Willett said, adding that it will take sustained rainfall to recharge the groundwater and begin to break the drought. Without a significant increase in rainfall, Hartwell could drop below 638 feet, which is 22 feet below full pool, in mid-October, according to Corps predictions. If that happens, Clemson University will institute mandatory water restrictions across the campus, university advisory said. The university hopes to reduce water consumption by 20 - 25 percent with voluntary restrictions on irrigation and personal use. In July, the city of Clemson called for mandatory restrictions when the state Drought response committee elevated the drought status in Pickens County to extreme.
|
Linear Mode
