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Corps works with other agencies, municipalities, to prepare for
prolonged drought
WILMINGTON, NC — As reservoir levels shrink, wells dry up, and sunny
days continue to dominate the calendar, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
water managers are marshalling every engineering measure they can think
of to extend water supply for hard pressed North Carolina and Virginia
communities.
"Long term forecasts indicate that a dry winter may well lie ahead of
us," said Wilmington District Water Control Manager Terry Brown. "In
past droughts, our reservoirs have been replenished by heavy tropical
rains. This year that big rain didn't materialize, and prospects for
rescue by a tropical depression have diminished almost to the vanishing
point."
The Corps and other federal and state agencies have been working
carefully all summer to make the best use of water supplies in its
reservoirs on the Roanoke, Neuse, Cape Fear, and upper Yadkin basins.
"It looks like nature could be challenging us to the limit," Brown
said. "We are certainly working hard to respond to the 'worst case'
eventuality that we get little or no rain in coming months."
"North Carolinians have been asked by Governor Mike Easley to find ways
to conserve, and we definitely encourage citizens to heed his message
and also to adhere closely to any use restrictions imposed by their
local communities. Stretching out water supplies may be the key to
keeping communities and industries functioning. We on the engineering
side at reservoirs and public utilities are doing our best, and we need
all the help we can get from those who are turning on the taps in their
homes!"
Philpott and John H. Kerr Lake
Straddling the North Carolina and Virginia Border, Kerr Lake is a key
reservoir on the Roanoke River. The lake is also about six feet below
guide curve at this time. "We have been working with the Southeastern
Power Administration so that we can minimize the need to release water
for power generation," said Tony Young, water manager for the Kerr and
Philpott projects. "That is helping to maintain better water levels in
both Philpott and Kerr lakes."
Philpott, higher up in the Roanoke Basin on the Smith River, is
similarly experiencing low lake levels. Drought is taking its toll on
both reservoirs, leaving banks high and dry, curtailing recreational
opportunities for swimmers and boaters, and affecting downstream
agriculture and industry.
"We've had inquiries indicating that some people think the Corps has
deliberately lowered the lake level because of a major rehab project
ongoing at the Kerr Powerhouse," Young said. "That's just not true.
These low lake levels are due to a lack of rainfall."
Falls Lake hard pressed by drought
The past four months have seen negative flows in Falls Lake. That is,
more water is leaving the lake through evaporation than is flowing into
the lake due to rainfall. The low flows are the worst in 80 years of
data collection on the Neuse River.
All district reservoir levels have fallen by several feet. Falls is
more than eight feet below guide curve. As the primary water supply for
the City of Raleigh, continued drawdown could lead to a zero water
supply balance in mid-January of 2008, unless rains replenish the
reservoir or measures are taken to stretch the supply out for a little
longer. Flows on the Neuse are also critical to maintaining the
viability of municipal and commerial intakes downstream of Raleigh in
Smithfield, Clayton and Goldsboro.
Can the Corps prevent a crisis?
"Nature has the last word," Brown said, "but working together, we can
make water supplies last a little longer. Since the 2002 drought, we
have been and will be continuing to work with utilities directors, our
own Regulatory staff, environmental agencies, and others to find ways
to stretch out water supply to the maximum. The City of Raleigh, for
example, is working with us to make use of former reservoirs like Lake
Benson, Lake Wheeler and Lake Johnson to ensure continued adequate
flows in the Neuse River, thus extending the life of water supplies in
Falls Lake for the City of Raleigh."
What if mid-January arrives without significant rain? "We are all
thinking and working on potentials of that kind," Brown said. "While we
hope it won't be necessary, it is certainly possible that we could tap
the sedimentation pool, or bottom layer of water in Falls Lake. Right
now, we are looking at the engineering, environmental and water
treatment issues that will have to be addressed in that eventuality."