By S.C. Rep. Don C. Bowen
The second meeting of the Savannah River Caucus was declared a hit by the 437 people who came, who saw and who listened to the great presentations at Big Oaks Park in Hartwell. We all heard in real terms the effect that the lakes have on the local economies when they are at their full capacity and acceptable levels. They explained the adverse effects on our businesses when our lakes are down. The lakes and the abundant supply of water that they impound along with the I-85 corridor are the two main reasons our local economies get wind in their “economic sails.”
The jobs created by lakes specific traffic was well documented by the local chambers of commerce. Hartwell Lake is one of the most heavily visited lakes in the Corps of Engineers’ system by tourists. Yes, the lakes are much more than just pretty tranquil places where water is stored—they are essential for drinking water, business needs and are the major tourist attractions that rival our coastal beaches.
Both Governors spoke about the importance of the lakes and the River Basin according to their respective states. There were 38 Legislators, two Lieutenant Governors, each state’s heads of DNR, the Colonel of the Corps of Engineers and of course, our Governor Nikki Haley and Governor Nathan Deal in attendance. All these dignitaries’ attendance spoke volumes of the importance of this historic meeting and both Governors reiterated that theme in their presentation.
Alan Powell, the Georgia Representative from Hartwell who hosted the second Summit on the Georgia soil along with me and my South Carolina crew were pleased to participate and help in this major event. The potential for this large group is that while coming together on the commonality of water, we see this being the impetus for more meetings on a multitude of issues that confront both the state of South Carolina and the state of Georgia.
Brooks Benton, Warden for the prison in Hartwell, sang the National Anthem in such a manner that he brought tears of respect from many eyes in the crowd.
The new compact agreement was signed and the study is off the ground for the Basin. This has been six years in the making. We all hope that the scientific data that we derived from the study will be a key component in the “adaptive management” program that is forthcoming.
Dr. Gene Eidson of Clemson Water Resource Department has released his new smart river sensor that will give us real time data that will be collected up and down the Basin. This system will share its data with all involved and interested groups. It will give us the ability to make adjustments to the flows up and down the Basin in a more timely and immediate manner.
The NRC has agreed to give us more variation on Keowee Lake which currently has a 5.9 foot variation allowed before they are allowed to cut the flow off of Keowee to Hartwell. This was put in place when we had the 3-mile island fiasco. This new lake level variation will allow us to have more flexibility in the levels of the lakes below Keowee.
Yes, all in all, the meeting was a success. Now we must move on to local meetings so that everyone will have a chance to get input into what actually takes place. The next meeting is planned for the Augusta, North Augusta area. We plan to do all that we can to keep the momentum rolling and to try to get input from everyone so that they may take ownership in this major endeavor.