Tuesday, June 23, 2009

July 4th Badin Lake Level

I know that many of you are concerned about the drop in the lake level over the last week, especially after what happened last June heading into the July 4 holiday. I have asked and Alcoa (APGI) assures me that over the July 4th weekend Badin Lake will be within 1 - 2 ft. of full, given current weather predictions.

They also assured me that they stand by their commitment to keep water levels in Badin Lake within three feet of full (on average) during normal, non-drought conditions. Of course, we still have the concern with how the lake level is managed during a drought as we experienced last summer. Let us hope we continue to have sufficient rain to keep us out of a drought until we have an opportunity to renegotiate the conditions leading into the triggering of the Low Inflow Protocol.

On the issue of the State takeover of the Yadkin Project, the FERC has remained silent over the last two months. We assume that the State is getting its act together on how the project run by a State Trust would serve the public interest better than Alcoa. In the meantime, Stanley County and Alcoa are fighting out whether or not the FERC can grant a long-term license while the validity of the 401 water quality certification is in question.

……………………….Garry