A huge crowd attended a meeting held Tuesday, February 17, at the Lincoln County Courthouse to plead with legislative representatives to enact new laws governing the United States Army Corps of Engineers and its management of Clark's Hill Lake. Concerns, bewilderment, frustration, fear, and possible solutions to the low water levels at Clark's Hill Lake were expressed at a public forum held Tuesday, February 17, in the courtroom at the Lincoln County Courthouse.

A crowd of people from Lincoln and four other counties gathered in the courtroom to plead with legislative representatives to enact new laws governing the United States Army Corps of Engineers and its management of the lake

Special guests at the event were Dennis Pitt, representing Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle; Sgt. Major Jim Hussey, regional representative for United States Senator Saxby Chambliss; Nancy Bobbitt, senior field representative for United States Senator Johnny Isakson; and Reagan Williams, field representative for United States Congressman Paul Broun.

Nelson Brooks served as the moderator for the forum, which was sponsored by the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners and "Save Our Lakes Now," a local citizens' advocacy group.

Brooks informed those present that a DVD was being made of the meeting and that a copy of the DVD will be sent to "anybody who can help."

At the outset of the meeting, the four legislative representatives addressed the crowd of concerned citizens.

According to Sgt. Major Hussey, "A lot of revenue has been lost — property values have decreased because some areas can no longer be considered lakefront property. But, the corps is not totally to blame — there are other agencies involved in this that dictate policies and law, unfortunately.

"One of these is NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). If NOAA says the water flow is hurting the sturgeon in Savannah, then by law, the corps has to release more water."

He went on to add that the offices of Chambliss, Isakson, Broun, and Gov. Sonny Perdue are attempting to revisit the plan on which NOAA bases its policies.

"If NOAA's plan for dealing with water flow from the dam can be changed, it may influence what the corps does," said Hussey.

In other comments, he described Clark's Hill Lake as "competitive." "Cutting the water flow could have an adverse effect on the economy downstream and create problems for the legislative process. It's hard to get assistance from legislators whose constituents are being affected downstream.

"We need feedback to put together a plan to help us influence Washington, NOAA, the corps, Congress, and all other agencies and committees that make these determinations."

In her remarks, Nancy Bobbitt pointed out the fact that the corps' drought manuals have not been updated in 20 years, which may have some affect on what is going on with the state's lakes and rivers.

According to Reagan Williams, Paul Broun said to tell those present, "He gets it — he's seen the lakes and rivers in his district and it's really bad. He said that it will take a grassroots, groundswell of support to get this thing going. People need to write or call legislators from other districts and states and let them know how dire the situation is."

Williams then read an excerpt from a letter written by Congressman Broun to NOAA and the corps. It was as follows:

"Despite facing low water levels not seen in two decades and a bleak precipitation forecast for the foreseeable future, I am disappointed that your agencies decided to increase the flow (from Thurmond Dam) to 3,600 cfs (cubic feet per second) due to the possible effect on the habitat of the short-nosed sturgeon. This decision was made even though there was no conclusive evidence that the shortnosed sturgeon would be adversely affected. This action jeopardizes the health of our lakes and the economies of the surrounding communities.

"I would like to request that NOAA and the ACOE (corps) reconsider this decision and return the outflow rate to 3,100 cfs at Lakes Harwell, Thurmond, and Russell. The water needs of the constituents of Georgia and South Carolina should take precedent over the questionable needs of the short-nosed sturgeon during the current drought. Our citizens, lakes, and communities face serious negative impacts if water flow levels are not reduced."

Williams reported that next week, Congressman Broun will meet with the new director of NOAA and Brigadier Gen. Joseph Schroedel, commander of the corps' South Atlantic Division.

In his remarks, Dennis Pitts of Lt. Gov. Cagle's office indicated that Gen. Schroedel has urged Georgia and South Carolina to offer solutions to the problem.

"I'm here to listen to the local solutions and report back to Casey Cagle and the governor. I don't know your lake like you do. Be patient. I believe help is on the way."

The meeting was then opened up for public comment.

Among those speaking from the floor were:

.. Jerry Clontz —"I keep hearing that the lake is down due to the drought — it's not. It's down because we're letting out more water than is coming in. Other lakes are level. Lake Murray and others that are in the same drought are level. We're not.

"The corps quotes the Environmental Protection Act and says the sturgeon need a flow of 3,600 cfs. There's no way that act can be interpreted to give the sturgeon more than Mother Nature gives them. We are trying to protect the eagle but we don't build nests and feed them. Now, we're being asked to give the sturgeon more than Mother Nature gives them. It's not an environmenriver," tal concern — that's man interfering with nature and that's part of the problem."

Clontz added that there were times when there were 10,000 cfs coming from one creek downstream, but the corps kept the dam going at 3,100 cfs.

In further remarks, he said that power generation and water quality are not at issue here. "We are part of a 10-lake power grid — power can come from other places, and it will balance out. Also, Augusta has demonstrated that it can move the site where it takes the water from the lake to ensure good water quality."

In conclusion, Clontz said, "We have to change the law: when the water starts going down, that's when we stop letting out more water than is coming in."

.. Bob Agurkis — "I've owned property on the lake for 24 years and every year, I've watched the corps pull the lake five to 10 feet in the winthere ter in preparation for the spring rains. We've had spring rains three times in the last 24 years.

"A good way to keep the water up is not to draw it down so far in the winter," he continued. "If we have a flood, let the water come up to 335 feet msl (feet above mean sea level) and then let it down easy and keep the flood at bay. Don't take the precious five or 10 feet of water and automatically draw it down when you don't know whether there will be flooding in the spring.

"Use the levels between 335 and 330 feet msl (330 feet msl is full pool), not 330 and 320 feet msl, to control flooding. I don't think homeowners here will complain about having to wade out to their docks once every three or four years," stated Agurkis.

.. Adam Bohler — "Our lake is our lifeline. It is what helps us survive. It gives us our livings and furnishes our households.

"I don't have a magic answer, but common sense tells you not to let all of the water out of the bathtub before you've finished bathing in it. We need to stop letting out more than we take in. People upstream and downstream should be allowed to benefit from what is equally ours."

.. Bob Barry — "I was told by the company that sold me my house in Savannah Lakes Village that I would have a lakefront lot all of my life. It hasn't actually been true."

He went on to say that the property owners on the lake suffer every time

is a boat race in Augusta. "My boat hasn't been off of the dock since Labor Day of 2007 and I won't be able to use it again this year. I thought I could use my boat last June — we had gotten six inches of rain. But the boat race was taking place in Augusta and the corps let out 10 inches of water that night.

"Four years ago, they had a serious mosquito problem because they let out too much water and flooded Augusta. Still, Augusta had a nice boat race. It helps their revenues but serves to pick our pockets here."

In closing, Barry said, "Everybody seems focused on the needs below us — our needs have to be heard as well."

.. John Jones — "Lake Russell is the primary answer to our problem. Open it, the water comes up, and the lake is then used to retain water for flood control."

He further noted that Clark's Hill Lake is a "toilet bowl, used to flush out the toxins dumped in the lake below us. People won't get in the water below Augusta because of the toxic materials dumped there."

.. Jeff Ganth, with the Family Y's Camp Lakeside — "We serve over 600 kids a summer and with the lake levels as they are, we've been chasing down water for swimming and boating.

"Our problem is personal, not financial," he stated. "We want to be able to offer more than a mud hole to look at — we want our kids to see the beauty of the lake. Currently, we have nowhere to teach kids how to swim, put a sail boat in the water, or show them how to fish.

"Our mission is to build strong kids, families, and communities. We are concerned about kids, not sturgeon."

.. Valorie Driggers, realtor — "I make my living selling real estate on the lake. Last year, when real estate took a nose dive, mainly due to the lake levels, I went out and applied for loans to continue to send my daughter to college.

"We can talk about recreation, but the economic impact on this county and adjoining counties is the most important issue. We're not able to make a living here anymore. I wouldn't be surprised if most of us were not forced to go somewhere else and find employment in other counties shortly.

"I hope you will think about the lake from an economic standpoint, too," Driggers continued. "I hope you will think about how it affects the employment of everyone in this county, whether they're selling real estate or clothes in a department store. If we don't get the water levels up, people won't be coming in and we won't have any businesses here."

.. Dale Turner — "An ecological disaster has been in progress since they built Lake Russell. Talk about sturgeon, they're hauling off tons of fish (herring) at the top of the lake at the pump back station and it's only halfway operational.

(Striped bass feed on herring. When the herring are depleted, the bass go after bream and crappie, which feed humans.)

"The sturgeon have been here since the dinosaurs. How many hundreds of thousands of droughts have they been through? Are we really worried about possible damage to the sturgeon and to the people downstream?

"We are damaged — there's not a business on this lake making money. We are all losing money."

In other remarks, Turner said, "The corps is doing all it can within its mandates; we need to change the mandates. We need flexibility. We also need some type of legislation for temporary relief. We don't need another year of this. People are going bankrupt left and right."

.. Jim Osberg — "The GAO (United States Government Accountability Office) performed an audit on the corps' performance during the 1987-88 drought. The corps did a good job on some things, but there were severe criticisms as well. These findings have not been corrected to this day."

He noted that according to the GAO, the corps did not take into account the affect of stream inflows below the dam. "They just kept releasing water according to their little manual (3,600 cfs). They didn't care how much water was coming in below the dam, and they're still doing this.

"The GAO also criticized the corps for not having a long-term plan for the worst case scenario and asked the agency to update its Drought Contingency Plan, which had not been updated in 24 years. My understanding is the corps did not even answer the audit."

.. Leroy Smith — Smith suggested the development of a codified policy that sets the priorities for managing the lake. Flood control would be the first priority, with water conservation coming in second. "Water is the oil of the future," he stated.

.. Grady Smith — "I was in Augusta on the Riverwatch and water was at the doorsteps of those nice homes. When I came back to my house, I got my four-wheeler and some boards and posts to pull my dock out further."

.. Don Thomas — "I sold everything I had and bought land on the lake in Lincoln County. I built a new house about two years ago, and my boat dock has been sitting on the ground the majority of the time.

"If the good Lord doesn't send rain upriver, we can't send it down he continued. "I don't know why we should be required to send any more downriver than we get from upriver. No matter how much water we get from Heaven or up north, they will keep sending more downstream and that will not work. Period."

.. Robert Lokey — "I own property at the Georgia-Carolina Ski Club. We have 60 slips and no boats. Everybody has had to take their boats out and put them in sheds. Last summer, kids were swimming in red mud."

In further comments, he said, "This year, we had to pay the corps $800 or more for permits to walk to our boat docks, which are sitting in the mud."

.. Dewey Holland — "The lower lake levels are contributing to the deaths of people."

(The water has receded past what is safe for swimming in many areas.)

.. Dean Antonakos — "NOAA holds the trump card to everything. Industries upon industries upon industries are having problems with the Environmental Species Act. Until there is some flexibility there, I don't see us getting a whole lot of relief."

In other comments, he said, "We have to figure out a way to monitor inflows below the dam — there are two large creeks and other tributaries below Augusta that help flush out pollution."

.. Paula Phillips, McCormick marina manager — "We had a bass tournament organizer call recently with 40 boats. We had to turn him away because we don't have any boat ramps.

"In addition, we have 34 slips, but we can't park anything under them. Therefore, they don't generate any revenue."

She went on to say that she used small business loans and her retirement to open a bait and tackle shop, which is now closed. "We had to close it because there was no water, no fishermen to buy the hotdogs or bait, and no herring here for the bait catchers to catch."

At the conclusion of the meeting, all of the legislative representatives gave brief statements concerning how they plan to address the problem. These included contacting various corps and NOAA officials and working to change the requirements of the Endangered Species Act.

They also urged those present to contact legislators across the county to enlist their support in revising the laws governing the management of the Savannah River Basin.

Travis Reid, youth minister and exhorter at Mulberry C.M.E. Church, led the benediction. In his prayer, he asked for rain as well as wisdom for our elected officials.

(Editor's note: A listing of the web addresses and telephone numbers of various legislators may be found by visiting www.congress.org.)