Tag Archives: Hartwell Lake

A tale of 3 reservoirs

If August’s precipitation – the best of 2016 thus far – raised anyone’s hopes, September officially dashed them.

Posted in Rainfall Update | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Upper Savannah River reservoirs enter Drought Level 2

SAVANNAH, Ga. – The three reservoirs operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the upper Savannah River entered Drought Level 2 as of 6 a.m. Sept. 19, when the level of the J. Strom Thurmond Lake dipped to … Continue reading

Posted in Drought in the News, Flood Risk Management, Water Safety | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Above average August rainfall keeps reservoirs steady

Rainfall in all three reservoir sub-basins exceeded normal in August. While no single event provided the basin with massive runoff, the steady and consistent small rain events kept the reservoirs at a relatively flat level. Leading the charge: Hartwell with … Continue reading

Posted in Rainfall Update, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Rain is coming, but will it be enough?

If the first three days in August are any indication, things could be looking up for the Savannah River Basin. Last month, on the other hand, the only reason to look up was in a fit of frustration. Russell’s take … Continue reading

Posted in Rainfall Update, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , |

Dams demand best of operator trainees

(Above: Les Rice guides visitors through a quick tour of the J. Strom Thurmond Dam.) AUGUSTA, Ga. – J. Strom Thurmond Dam currently operates at 98 percent proficiency but its operators are expected to perform above this percentage. Operator Trainee … Continue reading

Posted in Hydropower, Videos, Water Management | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Upper Savannah reservoirs enter Drought Level 1

SAVANNAH, Ga. – The three reservoirs on the Savannah River operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers entered the first drought level today when pool elevation at Thurmond Lake dipped below 326 feet above mean sea level (ft-msl). Entering … Continue reading

Posted in Declaration/Projection, Drought in the News, Drought Response, Studies, Water Quality/Water Supply | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Commander: Persistent, below normal rainfall expected to impact lake levels

Since I took command of the Savannah District in June 2015 we’ve been fortunate to have adequate, and sometimes abundant, rainfall and inflows to maintain full reservoir levels. Beginning in January we observed below-average rainfall throughout the basin, yet were … Continue reading

Posted in Declaration/Projection, Drought in the News, Drought Response, From the Commander, Studies, Water Management, Water Quality/Water Supply | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Living on borrowed rain

Now that it’s officially summer, the heat is on in more ways than one. Namely, if the trend of sub-par precipitation doesn’t improve, the basin could enter drought level 1 before August. That same trajectory would bring us to drought … Continue reading

Posted in Declaration/Projection, Drought in the News, Drought Response, Rainfall Update, Water Management | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Dry conditions begin to emerge as inflows decrease

The last three months of 2015 brought with it a surge of precipitation that exceeded normal rainfall by more than 200 percent across the upper Savannah River Basin. At Thurmond in particular December rainfall approached 300 percent of normal, soaking … Continue reading

Posted in Declaration/Projection, Rainfall Update, Water Management | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , |

A tale of the toothless El Niño?

I’m not one to taunt El Niño, especially in a season where forecasters have consistently predicted a strong showing, but two months of below-average rainfall have brought to mind the old lady from the 1980s Wendy’s commercial who asks, “Where’s the … Continue reading

Posted in Rainfall Update | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , |