Water flow into the Savannah River could be reduced on Friday

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could decide as early as Friday to reduce through April the amount of water flowing into the Savannah River, a primary drinking water source for Beaufort and Jasper counties.

Some oppose the reduction because it could cause saltwater intrusion into freshwater drinking sources.

The proposal by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division to reduce the flow of water from Hartwell, Russell and Thurmond lakes would conserve about a year's worth of the precious resource at a time when the Upstate remains in a persistent drought, local and state officials say.

The corps operates the three lakes as one system. About 3,600 cubic feet of water per second is released 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 South Carolina and Georgia have asked the corps to reduce that flow to 3,100 cubic feet of water per second.

Dean Moss, BJWSA general manager, said he supports the reduction because lake levels are "far too low."

Thurmond Lake has only 10.2 percent of its conservation storage left, according to the corps' Web site. Conservation storage refers to a pool of water just above the lowest lake level that the corps has deemed unusable because it is of lesser quality.

Hartwell and Russell lakes have about 39.5 percent and 29.2 percent respectively of conservation storage left.

"By holding water back, we save water that we might need," Moss said. "It might make the difference between running out of water and not running out in the future."

OUTLASTING THE DROUGHT

Billy Birdwell, chief of public affairs for the Army Corps of Engineers Savannah district, said the agency's decision would be based on an environmental assessment and review of 250 public comments made earlier.

That process is under way, he said, and the decision could come as soon as Friday.

He expects some people who've commented to oppose the reduction because of the possibility of saltwater intrusion into freshwater drinking sources.

"If the flow gets too weak, then the tide comes further upstream," Birdwell said. "Salt water could intrude, and levels of chloride could go too high."

Moss said any contamination that could result would not reach Beaufort and Jasper counties.

"I think there is some concern in Savannah that they may see some water quality change," he said, "but we will not. We are far enough upstream that the saltwater wedge doesn't get to us."

Still, the concern is one officials say they will monitor closely.

"(Saltwater intrusion) is not being ignored," said Steve de Kozlowski, interim deputy director for DNR's land, water and conservation division. "Both states are watching this, and either state at any time can call it (the reduction) off if they see a problem."

The reduction would end in April to ensure there is enough water for fish to spawn this spring, de Kozlowski said.

Both states have asked to test the reduction this winter, a time when there is less chance for water quality issues to develop, he said. In winter, colder temperatures keep organic matter and algae levels low.

If the reduction doesn't cause problems and drought conditions persist, de Kozlowski said the states may request another reduction later.

"It's an important move because the situation is becoming pretty grave," he said. "We'll try this and see how it works. We hope to outlast this drought with storage in the lakes."