Upper Savannah reservoirs enter Drought Level 1

Posted on July 25, 2016 by US Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District

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 Trigger Level 1 activates the Corps’ drought management plan which limits the discharge rate from the Thurmond Dam.

Under the existing drought plan, the Corps limits outflow from Thurmond Dam to 4,200 cubic feet per second (cfs), averaged over the week. Reducing outflow conserves more water in the reservoirs but decreases the amount of hydropower generated through the dams. Continue reading →

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

On watermelons and water levels

Posted on July 20, 2016 by US Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District

Summer in the Southeast means many things. Heat and humidity come to mind first, of course, but so do things like lazy Sunday afternoons, fishing trips, water skiing, firefly chasing and eating watermelon under a shade tree.

In the upper Savannah River Basin, it also usually means less rain and declining reservoir levels. Besides less rain, the heat means more water evaporates from the reservoirs and the plants along the shore suck more water out of the reservoirs to keep themselves green. Continue reading →

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

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

Posted on July 13, 2016 by US Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District
Rainfall

The graph shows observed versus average rainfall for the Hartwell sub-basin from January to June 2016.

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 able to maintain full reservoirs while meeting all our purposes. Within the last few months inflows have dropped significantly and the reservoirs are beginning to reflect the severe rain deficits we’ve experienced for the last several months. 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

Posted on July 8, 2016 by US Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District
The graphic shows the projected lake level for Hartwell assuming the sub-basin receives 80 percent of its average rainfall for the next 10 weeks.

The graphic shows the projected lake level for Hartwell on July 6, and assumes the sub-basin will receive 80 percent of its average rainfall for the next 10 weeks.

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 level 2 before October. Continue reading →

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

Listening to the pulse of the Savannah River

Posted on June 30, 2016 by US Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District
The graph shows the Savannah River's average daily flow before and after dams were introduced. Graph by Sara Gottlieb, The Nature Conservancy

The graph shows the Savannah River’s average daily flow near Augusta before and after dams were introduced. Graph by Sara Gottlieb, The Nature Conservancy

A soft breeze rustled the marsh grasses as James “Jim” Rothnie carefully placed a fresh canvas on his easel. Morning light sparkled on the waters of the ACE Basin nearby.

Quietly, he crept closer to the dozen lounging birds, their elegant snow-white plumage contrasting sharply with leathery, bald heads. Wood storks were one of his favorite sightings.

Click! The shutter released just in time. The birds — perhaps showing off — rose majestically into flight.

“It was a fraction of a second,” said Rothnie, an active birder, painter and trustee for The Nature Conservancy in South Carolina. “I took the picture and painted it on the spot. There’s nothing more incredible than capturing nature like that.”

The intersection of good food sources and habitat make the Lowcountry a birder’s (and painter’s) paradise. Both factors depend heavily on the heartbeat of the Savannah River. Continue reading →

Posted in Drought Response, Fish and Wildlife, Flood Risk Management, Guest Author, Savannah Harbor, Studies, Water Management, Water Quality/Water Supply | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The ‘other’ outflows

Posted on June 22, 2016 by US Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District

Summer officially arrived this week and as the temperatures rise, consider that the routine releases from our dams which send water downstream aren’t the only factors that contribute to reservoir levels.

Two invisible processes, evaporation and transpiration, account for a substantial amount of water loss, especially during the summer months.

(This video was originally published in September 2014 but has been edited).

Posted in Recreation, Water Management |

Educators turn lessons learned into lesson plans

Posted on June 15, 2016 by US Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District

SAVANNAH, Ga. – The school year continued for 15 educators who returned to the classroom to unearth ways to bring curriculum to life during the CSS Georgia Teacher’s Institute held May 31-June 3 at Georgia Tech Savannah. Continue reading →

Posted in CSS Georgia, Videos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , |

When ‘just shooting the average’ is a lofty goal

Posted on June 15, 2016 by US Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District

If Mother Nature golfed, she’d be firmly atop the leaderboard at the 2016 Savannah River Basin Invitational.

Last month she continued her five-month streak of sub-par rainfall performances, but the spectators have traded their golf clap for a nervous laugh as the temperatures have begun to rise. Continue reading →

Posted in Rainfall Update |

Savannah River Comprehensive Study moves forward

Posted on June 8, 2016 by US Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District

Researchers working on the Savannah River Comprehensive Study reached another milestone recently when they completed modeling for the first four drought operation plan alternatives.

The multiagency study seeks to provide a better understanding for the impacts and risks associated with managing water resources in the basin, specifically during droughts when those resources, and thus the environment and economy, are most vulnerable. Continue reading →

Posted in Declaration/Projection, Drought Response, Flood Risk Management, Hydropower, Savannah Harbor, Studies |

Dry conditions begin to emerge as inflows decrease

Posted on May 24, 2016 by US Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District

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 the basin a final time before spring and saturating soil to its capacity.

However, since December the basin has experienced below average rainfall every month (a 7-inch deficit between Hartwell and Thurmond through April).  Continue reading →

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