Corps of Engineers reduces water flow to Savannah River

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began Tuesday reducing the amount of water flowing into the Savannah River, a primary drinking-water source for Beaufort and Jasper counties, to conserve water in the drought-stricken Upstate.

Local and state officials say they support the reduction and that it should have happened sooner.

Dean Moss, general manager of the Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority, said lake levels are "far too low." The reduction would save about 300 million gallons of water per day for the Upstate -- nearly one month's supply, he said.

Reducing the flow into the Savannah River shouldn't create a problem for Beaufort and Jasper counties, Moss added.

The S.C. Department of Natural Resources and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division asked the corps to reduce the flow from Hartwell, Russell and Thurmond lakes because the Upstate remains in a persistent drought.

The corps operates the three lakes as one system and releases water from the lakes' reservoirs into the Savannah River to meet the needs of downstream users, including the Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority and the city of Savannah.

Both states asked the corps to reduce that flow from 3,600 to 3,100 cubic feet per second. They wanted the reductions to begin Nov. 1 and last at least through February.

Corps spokesman Billy Birdwell said reductions only are scheduled through January and could extend through February if further studies show the reduction does not affect fish spawning, particularly for shortnose sturgeon.

"The way the fish knows when it's time to spawn is based on water temperature and flow rate," he said. "We're concerned that if we keep the flow so low, they won't know where the stream is."

Birdwell said the reduction is being closely monitored by the corps and several state and federal agencies.

State climatologist Hope Mizzell said the reduction is helpful, but is not going to quench the drought.

"These reductions are not going to stop (the lakes) from dropping; it is just going to slow their decline," she said. "We really just need a wet winter, and that's just not in the forecast right now."