Some of you may have received a letter yesterday (March 18) from the High Rock Lake Association (HRLA) soliciting your membership by paying your dues for 2009. The letter talks about all the benefits you would receive by being a part of the HRLA, including the work they have done and continue to do in supporting the Alcoa relicensing of the Yadkin Project.
In the letter, there is a disturbing statement made about “many people at Badin Lake,” and I want to make you all aware of it and to respond to it. The entire subject paragraph follows so those who did not receive the letter can see it in context:
“The Association is continuing its work on the Alcoa relicensing project, which has been delayed by Stanly County and some politicians in Raleigh. The new License is also being opposed by many people at Badin Lake; they think High Rock should always be used to keep Badin Lake full and they don’t like the license terms the HRLA fought for, which provide for equal drawdowns of both lakes in times of drought. Your membership in the High Rock Lake Association will help us convince FERC and the State of North Carolina that High Rock Lake deserves the benefits the new License will provide.”
Now, I agree that many people at Badin Lake are opposed to the new license under its current terms because it requires Badin Lake to be lowered to five feet below full before stage 0 of the Low Inflow Protocol is triggered and the downstream flow of the river below Falls dam is reduced in times of drought. But I am not aware of anybody who is saying that Badin Lake should be kept full at the expense of High Rock Lake in times of drought. I am attempting to get up with Larry Jones, the president of HRLA, to understand why he felt it necessary to make the inflammatory statement.
All of the lakes in the Yadkin-Pee Dee watershed should contribute their fair share to maintaining the reduced river flow to South Carolina during a drought, including Lake Tillery and Blewett Falls Lake. And all of the lakes should be drawn down equally so as to minimize the impact on any one lake.
By the way, if I am wrong and some of you do want Badin Lake to be kept full at the expense of High Rock Lake, I want to hear from you. Post a comment here or email me at kenney@BadinLakeAssociation.com.
…………………………………Garry
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It seems to me that the High Rock Lake Association has taken a High Rock Lake vs. Badin Lake point of view. It is unfortunate and dysfunctional. We both want the same thing; usable water levels in our lakes. There is no reason why this license can not be good for both Badin Lake and High Rock Lake. I applaud the work that the High Rock Lake Association has accomplished in the new license. They deserve to have water levels that work for them just as much as Badin Lake; however, the new license is terrible for the stake holders of Badin Lake. If the draw down is changed from 5 foot to 3 foot before the Low Flow Protocol is triggered, the license would receive my full support.
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