Senator Fletcher Hartsell of Cabarrus County introduced a bill on Wednesday to create a State Trust that would allow the State of North Carolina to seize the Yadkin Hydroelectric Project. (See the bill at http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2009&BillID=s967 )
Why? I and many others don’t understand why.
I believe that Alcoa Power Generating, Inc. (APGI) has been a good steward of the River and the Lakes. Yes, we have had issues with them in the past over the Shoreline Management Plan and most recently with the Low Inflow Protocol (LIP) specification, but they didn’t come up with these alone. They developed them with the help of the N.C. Dept. of Environment & Natural Resources and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission among many others. And I believe we have a good shot at revising the LIP working with APGI and others that form the Yadkin-Pee Dee Drought Management Advisory Group (YPD-DMAG) based on the initial experience of operating with it during the summer of 2008.
If the state takes over the Yadkin Project, will they then proceed to take over other hydropower projects in the state such as those operated by Progress Energy on the Pee Dee River, and the hydropower project operated by Duke Power on the Catawba River? Now, I am not an advocate of unrestrained free enterprise because history has shown that large corporations will take advantage of their market power to set prices and restrain competition unless they are regulated. But the hydropower generation business is highly regulated. Witness the long and very expensive process that APGI has just gone through to relicense the Yadkin Project. And APGI can’t control the price they get for selling power. That is negotiated with the power distribution company they sell the power to – for example Progress Energy or Duke Power.
As for the PCB and mercury contamination issues, the levels found in the APGI managed lakes is no different from most other lakes in North Carolina and not likely caused by Alcoa in the first place. Alcoa does admit that they have contamination issues around the old Badin Works plant where they smelted aluminum until 2002, but they are working to clean up those sites and, in any event, that issue should not be tied to the operation of the hydropower business.
What do you think? Are there those of you around the Lake who believe that the State has a case for taking over the Yadkin Project and would do a better job of managing it? Post your comments here or email me at kenney@BadinLakeAssociation.com.
………………………….Garry
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
High Rock Lake Association Letter
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
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
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
APGI Summary of the March DMT Meeting
Alcoa Power Generating, Inc (APGI) just posted their summary of the March 5 DMT at http://www.alcoa.com/yadkin/en/environment/drought_plan.asp. I put my summary of the DMT meeting on the Blog here (see entry dated March 5), but they have a more complete listing of the people and their comments in their summary.
Another link of interest on the APGI website is the Lake Levels page at http://www.alcoa.com/yadkin/en/lakes/reservoir_data.asp. The lake levels are automatically updated every hour and you can link to graphs showing current and historical lake levels. APGI is not very good at keeping other information on the website up to date.
.............................Garry
Another link of interest on the APGI website is the Lake Levels page at http://www.alcoa.com/yadkin/en/lakes/reservoir_data.asp. The lake levels are automatically updated every hour and you can link to graphs showing current and historical lake levels. APGI is not very good at keeping other information on the website up to date.
.............................Garry
Thursday, March 5, 2009
DMT Meeting Held March 5, 2009
Alcoa Power Generating, Inc. (APGI) hosted a meeting (conference call) of the Drought Management Team (DMT) on Thursday, March 5. This meeting was called because more than 10% of the Yadkin-Pee Dee watershed was in drought classification D1 (moderate drought). There were 25 participants on the call. I participated representing the Badin Lake Association.
It’s ironic that the call was held after the significant rain and snow event that occurred on Sunday. The lakes are full and APGI is generating at full capacity to try to keep from spilling too much water. Spilling water is the term they use when water goes over the spillway (or through the flood gates) and can’t be used for generating power. As you can imagine, they want to manage the lake levels to prevent or at least minimize spilling water.
After a roll call to identify all participants, Marshall Olson invited Alan Jones of APGI to speak first. Alan is evidently responsible for directly managing the water through the lakes and through the turbines. His comments were that he currently had a lot of water, he used up his three feet of capacity in High Rock Lake due to the rain/snow event, and that he needed to work High Rock Lake down to three to four feet below full in order to be prepared for the next rain event. He said that he expected about 3000 cubic feet per second (cfs) through the lakes during March, but a lot of that was front-end loaded. (We are currently at over 5000 cfs but he expects that to drop off quite a bit.)
Marshall then proceeded through the list of attendees asking for any comments. Among the attendees were representatives of the Army Corps of Engineers, NC Dept of Natural Resources, NC Wildlife Resources Commission, High Rock Lake Association, Duke Energy, Badin Lake Association, Uwharrie Point Community Association, NC Division of Water Resources, Progress Energy, SC Dept of Natural Resources, Pee Dee River Association, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Winston-Salem, and Kerr Scott Reservoir. Most participants said that they currently had plenty of water and no problems.
Larry Jones from High Rock Lake Association cautioned that, although we currently have a lot of water, all indications are that we are headed into a repeat of last summer, with drought and low river flow conditions. He said that we shouldn’t be too hasty to lower High Rock down to prepare for a rain event that likely will not come because it would be hard to recover the lake level heading into the recreation season. His argument was that we experience an event like that one this past weekend only once a year, and we already saw it.
Richard Schaefer from Uwharrie Point Community Association said that we need to educate people that, although the lakes are full now, we are still at risk for low water levels this summer. He recommended that we put together a story that relates drought conditions and river flow to lake levels so that people can better understand what is happening when the lake levels drop.
When my turn came to speak, I expressed my belief that we should not allow Badin Lake to drop to five feet below full this year before reducing the downstream flow to begin conserving water. I stated that conserving water earlier in the drought cycle would improve recreation, wildlife and fish habitat. In response to a comment that it makes sense to balance the relative drawdowns of High Rick and Badin lakes, I stated that Badin Lake does not have a problem with contributing its fair share of water to maintain downstream river flows after the downstream flow from Falls Dam is reduced. It is only that that we should begin conserving water before the lake is five feet down. I also stated that beginning to conserve water earlier in the drought cycle would provide additional capacity for maintaining the downstream river flows later in an extended drought. One other point I made is that the capacity of Badin Lake is not needed to contain a significant rain event because it is two dams down from High Rock, 95% of the Yadkin River Basin drains to High Rock Lake, and APGI would need to spill water over High Rock and Tuckertown dams before Badin could be used to hold back excess river flow.
The meeting was adjourned with the intent to draw up a press release documenting the meeting and providing some education as requested by Richard Schaefer.
By the way, an interesting comment that Marshall Olson made at the beginning of the meeting is that we would continue to hold the DMT meetings until the new license was approved. The implication is that, with the new license with the included Low Inflow Protocol, we would not need the meetings because the operation of the lakes during a drought is completely specified there.
………………………..Garry
It’s ironic that the call was held after the significant rain and snow event that occurred on Sunday. The lakes are full and APGI is generating at full capacity to try to keep from spilling too much water. Spilling water is the term they use when water goes over the spillway (or through the flood gates) and can’t be used for generating power. As you can imagine, they want to manage the lake levels to prevent or at least minimize spilling water.
After a roll call to identify all participants, Marshall Olson invited Alan Jones of APGI to speak first. Alan is evidently responsible for directly managing the water through the lakes and through the turbines. His comments were that he currently had a lot of water, he used up his three feet of capacity in High Rock Lake due to the rain/snow event, and that he needed to work High Rock Lake down to three to four feet below full in order to be prepared for the next rain event. He said that he expected about 3000 cubic feet per second (cfs) through the lakes during March, but a lot of that was front-end loaded. (We are currently at over 5000 cfs but he expects that to drop off quite a bit.)
Marshall then proceeded through the list of attendees asking for any comments. Among the attendees were representatives of the Army Corps of Engineers, NC Dept of Natural Resources, NC Wildlife Resources Commission, High Rock Lake Association, Duke Energy, Badin Lake Association, Uwharrie Point Community Association, NC Division of Water Resources, Progress Energy, SC Dept of Natural Resources, Pee Dee River Association, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Winston-Salem, and Kerr Scott Reservoir. Most participants said that they currently had plenty of water and no problems.
Larry Jones from High Rock Lake Association cautioned that, although we currently have a lot of water, all indications are that we are headed into a repeat of last summer, with drought and low river flow conditions. He said that we shouldn’t be too hasty to lower High Rock down to prepare for a rain event that likely will not come because it would be hard to recover the lake level heading into the recreation season. His argument was that we experience an event like that one this past weekend only once a year, and we already saw it.
Richard Schaefer from Uwharrie Point Community Association said that we need to educate people that, although the lakes are full now, we are still at risk for low water levels this summer. He recommended that we put together a story that relates drought conditions and river flow to lake levels so that people can better understand what is happening when the lake levels drop.
When my turn came to speak, I expressed my belief that we should not allow Badin Lake to drop to five feet below full this year before reducing the downstream flow to begin conserving water. I stated that conserving water earlier in the drought cycle would improve recreation, wildlife and fish habitat. In response to a comment that it makes sense to balance the relative drawdowns of High Rick and Badin lakes, I stated that Badin Lake does not have a problem with contributing its fair share of water to maintain downstream river flows after the downstream flow from Falls Dam is reduced. It is only that that we should begin conserving water before the lake is five feet down. I also stated that beginning to conserve water earlier in the drought cycle would provide additional capacity for maintaining the downstream river flows later in an extended drought. One other point I made is that the capacity of Badin Lake is not needed to contain a significant rain event because it is two dams down from High Rock, 95% of the Yadkin River Basin drains to High Rock Lake, and APGI would need to spill water over High Rock and Tuckertown dams before Badin could be used to hold back excess river flow.
The meeting was adjourned with the intent to draw up a press release documenting the meeting and providing some education as requested by Richard Schaefer.
By the way, an interesting comment that Marshall Olson made at the beginning of the meeting is that we would continue to hold the DMT meetings until the new license was approved. The implication is that, with the new license with the included Low Inflow Protocol, we would not need the meetings because the operation of the lakes during a drought is completely specified there.
………………………..Garry
Saturday, February 28, 2009
The Low Inflow Protocol
The Low Inflow Protocol (LIP) specifies how the lake levels and the river flows are to be managed during a drought in the Yadkin-Pee Dee River Basin. The LIP is important to Badin Lake. It is important because that is why our lake was drained down to five feet below full pond during June of 2008. The lake was lowered another foot and a half during July and August before we received the significant rain from tropical depression Faye on August 27.
Don’t get me wrong. The LIP is not all bad. In fact, it is a good thing. It’s just that it needs some fixing.
The LIP was developed in response to the severe drought that culminated in the summer of 2002. During that drought, the Badin Lake water level stayed up to no more than three feet below full pond until the beginning of July 2002 before it began to drop rather quickly. The reason it stayed up is because Alcoa Power Generating, Inc. (APGI) dropped the High Rock Lake level to satisfy the downstream flow requirements of their existing license with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). High Rock was already down 18 feet before Badin Lake went below three feet down. High Rock Lake subsequently went down to about 24 feet below full and Badin Lake went down to about 12 feet below full before we began receiving significant rain in September.
The LIP is specified as part of the Relicensing Settlement Agreement (RSA) submitted by APGI to FERC to obtain a 50-year license to continue to operate the Yadkin River dams – the Yadkin Project. The RSA has not yet been approved by FERC so, technically, the LIP is not yet in effect.
But APGI operated the lakes according to the LIP during the summer of 2008. Instead of keeping Badin Lake within three feet of full and draining High Rock Lake down to satisfy the downstream river flows (as they did in years past during a drought), APGI kept the High Rock and Badin drawdowns within one foot of each other (specified in the LIP), and they lowered High Rock down to four feet below full and Badin to five feet below full before triggering stage 0 of the LIP to reduce the downstream river flow below Falls dam and begin conserving water. Yes, I said that right. Instead of keeping Badin Lake within three feet of full while they lowered High Rock, the LIP specifies that Badin Lake must be lowered more than High Rock. All this before the LIP is triggered to begin conserving water. In fact, while the inflow into High Rock Lake (as measured at the USGS stream gage at Yadkin College) averaged 722 cubic feet per second (cfs) during June 2008, APGI was releasing an average of 1400 cfs downstream from Falls dam. And you wondered why Lake Tillery stayed full while we suffered.
Now, APGI says that we are better off than before! They say that the old license had Badin Lake going down to 6.6 feet below full and the change to five feet down is an improvement. Well, it may have said something about 6.6 feet down somewhere in the old license, but we never saw it in reality. We did see five feet down last summer! In fact, APGI has previously stated that Badin Lake would be maintained between zero and two feet below full pond, and only in rare conditions allow it to drop as low as three feet. The statement of this policy was posted on APGI, Yadkin Division website at http://www.alcoa.com/yadkin/en/lakes/narrows.asp until sometime in 2007 when it was removed without notification or reason.
What can we do about the LIP? There are two changes that I see should be made to the LIP based on the operating experience of 2008, and both have to do with reducing the downstream flow rate earlier in the drought in order to begin conserving water in the APGI lakes. One is to invoke stage 0 of the LIP based only on the drought status and the inflow rate of the Yadkin River and not make it dependent on the lake levels of High Rock or Badin Lake. The other change is to allow Badin Lake to drop no more than three feet down, independent of other conditions, before triggering stage 0 of the LIP. These changes should be good for recreation, for the fish, for the wildlife, and for the downstream water users in South Carolina. Yes, the changes afford APGI a little less flexibility in when they can generate power in a drought. But the same amount of water will still flow through their turbines.
But to modify the LIP we need to get the Yadkin-Pee Dee River Basin Drought Management Advisory Group (YPD-DMAG) together to work out and agree on any changes. The LIP specifies that the YPD-DMAG be convened by the North Carolina Division of Water Resources (NCDWR) and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) at least once every five (5) years to review and, if necessary, update the LIP. It also specifies that, regardless of the Low Inflow Condition, coordination will include a meeting convened annually by NCDWR during April to discuss issues relevant to the LIP.
So is NCDWR going to hold the April meeting where we can discuss changes to the LIP? Answer – No! NCDWR says that the RSA is not approved and the LIP is part of the RSA so, although they are ready to assume the role of calling together a meeting they can’t do that until the RSA is approved by FERC.
So, since the RSA is APGI’s document (that they submitted to FERC), can’t APGI call together the YPD-DMAG to modify the LIP and submit the modified RSA to FERC? Yeah, right! They already have everyone signed off on the LIP and are not about to reopen it now. They have only the water quality certification to get from the North Carolina Division of Water Quality (NCDWQ) and they are good to go with the license approval.
So…………? If we play by the book, it looks like we have to wait for the license approval before we can expect any renegotiation of the LIP. That is unless FERC pays attention to all the cards and letters asking them to withhold approval of the license until the LIP is changed because the people of Badin Lake were not adequately represented in formulating the initial version of the LIP. Maybe FERC will tell APGI that they must call together the YPD-DMAG, reconsider the LIP and submit a revised RSA before they will approve. What do you think?
You can download the entire RSA (5 megabyte pdf file) and the LIP contained within it from the Alcoa website at Relicensing Settlement Agreement (RSA).
……………………………Garry
Don’t get me wrong. The LIP is not all bad. In fact, it is a good thing. It’s just that it needs some fixing.
The LIP was developed in response to the severe drought that culminated in the summer of 2002. During that drought, the Badin Lake water level stayed up to no more than three feet below full pond until the beginning of July 2002 before it began to drop rather quickly. The reason it stayed up is because Alcoa Power Generating, Inc. (APGI) dropped the High Rock Lake level to satisfy the downstream flow requirements of their existing license with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). High Rock was already down 18 feet before Badin Lake went below three feet down. High Rock Lake subsequently went down to about 24 feet below full and Badin Lake went down to about 12 feet below full before we began receiving significant rain in September.
The LIP is specified as part of the Relicensing Settlement Agreement (RSA) submitted by APGI to FERC to obtain a 50-year license to continue to operate the Yadkin River dams – the Yadkin Project. The RSA has not yet been approved by FERC so, technically, the LIP is not yet in effect.
But APGI operated the lakes according to the LIP during the summer of 2008. Instead of keeping Badin Lake within three feet of full and draining High Rock Lake down to satisfy the downstream river flows (as they did in years past during a drought), APGI kept the High Rock and Badin drawdowns within one foot of each other (specified in the LIP), and they lowered High Rock down to four feet below full and Badin to five feet below full before triggering stage 0 of the LIP to reduce the downstream river flow below Falls dam and begin conserving water. Yes, I said that right. Instead of keeping Badin Lake within three feet of full while they lowered High Rock, the LIP specifies that Badin Lake must be lowered more than High Rock. All this before the LIP is triggered to begin conserving water. In fact, while the inflow into High Rock Lake (as measured at the USGS stream gage at Yadkin College) averaged 722 cubic feet per second (cfs) during June 2008, APGI was releasing an average of 1400 cfs downstream from Falls dam. And you wondered why Lake Tillery stayed full while we suffered.
Now, APGI says that we are better off than before! They say that the old license had Badin Lake going down to 6.6 feet below full and the change to five feet down is an improvement. Well, it may have said something about 6.6 feet down somewhere in the old license, but we never saw it in reality. We did see five feet down last summer! In fact, APGI has previously stated that Badin Lake would be maintained between zero and two feet below full pond, and only in rare conditions allow it to drop as low as three feet. The statement of this policy was posted on APGI, Yadkin Division website at http://www.alcoa.com/yadkin/en/lakes/narrows.asp until sometime in 2007 when it was removed without notification or reason.
What can we do about the LIP? There are two changes that I see should be made to the LIP based on the operating experience of 2008, and both have to do with reducing the downstream flow rate earlier in the drought in order to begin conserving water in the APGI lakes. One is to invoke stage 0 of the LIP based only on the drought status and the inflow rate of the Yadkin River and not make it dependent on the lake levels of High Rock or Badin Lake. The other change is to allow Badin Lake to drop no more than three feet down, independent of other conditions, before triggering stage 0 of the LIP. These changes should be good for recreation, for the fish, for the wildlife, and for the downstream water users in South Carolina. Yes, the changes afford APGI a little less flexibility in when they can generate power in a drought. But the same amount of water will still flow through their turbines.
But to modify the LIP we need to get the Yadkin-Pee Dee River Basin Drought Management Advisory Group (YPD-DMAG) together to work out and agree on any changes. The LIP specifies that the YPD-DMAG be convened by the North Carolina Division of Water Resources (NCDWR) and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) at least once every five (5) years to review and, if necessary, update the LIP. It also specifies that, regardless of the Low Inflow Condition, coordination will include a meeting convened annually by NCDWR during April to discuss issues relevant to the LIP.
So is NCDWR going to hold the April meeting where we can discuss changes to the LIP? Answer – No! NCDWR says that the RSA is not approved and the LIP is part of the RSA so, although they are ready to assume the role of calling together a meeting they can’t do that until the RSA is approved by FERC.
So, since the RSA is APGI’s document (that they submitted to FERC), can’t APGI call together the YPD-DMAG to modify the LIP and submit the modified RSA to FERC? Yeah, right! They already have everyone signed off on the LIP and are not about to reopen it now. They have only the water quality certification to get from the North Carolina Division of Water Quality (NCDWQ) and they are good to go with the license approval.
So…………? If we play by the book, it looks like we have to wait for the license approval before we can expect any renegotiation of the LIP. That is unless FERC pays attention to all the cards and letters asking them to withhold approval of the license until the LIP is changed because the people of Badin Lake were not adequately represented in formulating the initial version of the LIP. Maybe FERC will tell APGI that they must call together the YPD-DMAG, reconsider the LIP and submit a revised RSA before they will approve. What do you think?
You can download the entire RSA (5 megabyte pdf file) and the LIP contained within it from the Alcoa website at Relicensing Settlement Agreement (RSA).
……………………………Garry
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
A New Beginning
Hello to all of the Badin Lake Association.
I am Garry Kenney and I will now be representing you on the Drought Management Team (DMT) and the Yadkin-Pee Dee River Basin Drought Management Advisory Group (YPD-DMAG). Harry Saunders, as president of the Badin Lake Association, held these roles previously. But since Harry is out of town almost constantly during the week, I asked to represent the Badin Lake Association on these groups and Harry has agreed to this request.
I will do my best to represent your views and concerns to Alcoa Power Generating, Inc. (APGI). I started this blog to keep you informed about what and why things are happening on the Lake and to allow you to feed back your thoughts, comments and questions. I will, in turn, get answers from APGI and post them back here.
So what are these groups -- the DMT and the YPD-DMAG?
The DMT is a tactical group set up to help manage the lake levels and river flow during drought in the Yadkin river basin. As a result of the drought of 2002, a Drought Contingency Plan was formed to ensure that all stakeholders in the Yadkin Project are working together to manage drought conditions. The DMT talks at least quarterly, and more often if drought conditions begin to occur.
The YPD-DMAG is a strategic group set up to define and maintain the Low Inflow Protocol (LIP) for Yadkin-Pee Dee river basin. This describes how the river flows and lake levels should be managed during a drought. In most cases, the DMT meeting is just a notification to all interested parties when the different stages of the LIP are triggered.
Formally, the YPD-DMAG consists of one representative from each of the following organizations (to the extent that they are willing to participate): Alcoa Power Generating Inc. (APGI), Progress Energy (PE), North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR), North Carolina Division of Water Resources (NCDWR), North Carolina Division of Water Quality (NCDWQ), North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC), South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC), the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), High Rock Lake Association (HRLA), Badin Lake Association (BLA), Duke Power Company, Lake Tillery Homeowners Association, South Carolina Pee Dee River Coalition (SCPDRC) and owners of intakes that withdraw more than one million gallons of water per day from the impoundments of either the Yadkin Project (P-2197) or the Yadkin-Pee Dee Project (P-2206).
I will be posting additional information on the DMT and the LIP in the near future.
......................Garry
I am Garry Kenney and I will now be representing you on the Drought Management Team (DMT) and the Yadkin-Pee Dee River Basin Drought Management Advisory Group (YPD-DMAG). Harry Saunders, as president of the Badin Lake Association, held these roles previously. But since Harry is out of town almost constantly during the week, I asked to represent the Badin Lake Association on these groups and Harry has agreed to this request.
I will do my best to represent your views and concerns to Alcoa Power Generating, Inc. (APGI). I started this blog to keep you informed about what and why things are happening on the Lake and to allow you to feed back your thoughts, comments and questions. I will, in turn, get answers from APGI and post them back here.
So what are these groups -- the DMT and the YPD-DMAG?
The DMT is a tactical group set up to help manage the lake levels and river flow during drought in the Yadkin river basin. As a result of the drought of 2002, a Drought Contingency Plan was formed to ensure that all stakeholders in the Yadkin Project are working together to manage drought conditions. The DMT talks at least quarterly, and more often if drought conditions begin to occur.
The YPD-DMAG is a strategic group set up to define and maintain the Low Inflow Protocol (LIP) for Yadkin-Pee Dee river basin. This describes how the river flows and lake levels should be managed during a drought. In most cases, the DMT meeting is just a notification to all interested parties when the different stages of the LIP are triggered.
Formally, the YPD-DMAG consists of one representative from each of the following organizations (to the extent that they are willing to participate): Alcoa Power Generating Inc. (APGI), Progress Energy (PE), North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR), North Carolina Division of Water Resources (NCDWR), North Carolina Division of Water Quality (NCDWQ), North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC), South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC), the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), High Rock Lake Association (HRLA), Badin Lake Association (BLA), Duke Power Company, Lake Tillery Homeowners Association, South Carolina Pee Dee River Coalition (SCPDRC) and owners of intakes that withdraw more than one million gallons of water per day from the impoundments of either the Yadkin Project (P-2197) or the Yadkin-Pee Dee Project (P-2206).
I will be posting additional information on the DMT and the LIP in the near future.
......................Garry
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