Corps Planning for Extremes In Savannah River Basin

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia

We could see extremely low water levels on Hartwell Lake come this fall because of a lack of rainfall this summer, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it is also preparing for a record flood stage levels come winter.

It’s a strange case of two extremes coming one after the other.  First, unusually low rainfall amounts over the spring and summer have Northeast Georgia inching near drought status.

Using the current conditions in the Savannah River Basin as indicators, the Corps is expecting to reach drought trigger level 2 by October, according to Corps spokesman Russell Wicke.

Right now, Hartwell inflows are 22 percent of normal, and at Thurmond they are 19 percent of normal.  Wicke said even assuming inflows improve to 75 percent of normal in the coming weeks, the Corps’ 10-week projection has us brushing up against Drought Level 2 by October.

However, Wicke said the Corps is also monitoring an El Nino effect currently moving through the South Pacific across India, Asia, and Australia that he said is expected to hit North America this winter.

And Wicke said, if this El Nino effect is as strong as predicted, we could see higher flood stage levels this winter at Hartwell Dam than we had in the spring of 2013 when record rainfall pushed lake levels five feet above flood stage.

Still, Wicke said while the Corps doesn’t manage basin levels based on weather predictions, he said they are expecting to see record high water levels this winter beginning in December

He says that is one of the main reasons why the Corps does winter draw downs, to make room for that winter rainfall.

Wicke said the Corps will continue to monitor the current El Nino effect and make adjustments to their predictions as needed.