An agreement signed Wednesday will clear the way for a study to be done on the water levels in our lakes. In times of drought, the Army Corps of Engineers manages water levels based on a drought plan that's federally mandated. In order to change that plan, a study has to be done. Wednesday, the agreement between Georgia and South Carolina allows that to happen.
The study will look at the minimum outflow of water that can be released during a drought and how long the Corps of Engineers can maintain that flow, S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley and Ga. Gov. Nathan Deal also vowed to work together to keep the water sharing issue between their states out of the courtroom.
"I think it shows that we both have a willingness to get a lot of things done in our two states and that we don't always have to go to court as our solution. Maybe it's just sitting down and talking through the issues," said Haley.
"Our water resources are important for economic development. They're important for quality of life. They're important to make sure we're protecting our natural resources and I think today shows we've come a long way."
The significance of the agreement to do the study wasn't lost on Lake Hartwell Association President Herb Burnham, who has pushed for years to get the study done.
"This is one of the most exciting days I've had since taking the lead in the Lake Hartwell Association," said Burnham. "Rather than use history to decide what we're going to do in the future, we need to get ourselves flexible and able to respond to what is happening immediately and tomorrow maybe and the next day."
The study begins immediately and will take a little over a year to complete. The next step is a full comprehensive study to provide information that would allow the Corps of Engineers to make recommendations to Congress on water management in the Savannah River Basin.