Drought operations end for lakes

     The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, has announced that lakes Hartwell, Richard B. Russell and J. Strom Thurmond are no longer in drought operations due to the recent rain events over the Savannah River System Basin.
     Increased flows of 5,000-8,000 cubic feet per second will begin being seen over the next week.
    The cold weather experienced in the area last Thursday and Friday prompted higher than normal releases to meet heating demands.
     All releases will be pass through the dam’s turbines generating clean, renewable electricity.
    “The level at Hartwell Lake today was 656.48 feet above mean sea level, at Russell it’s 475.06 feet above msl and Thurmond is 326.32 feet above msl, which is just over guide curve,” said Stan Simpson, Savannah District water manager.
    “They will likely remain near these levels into January,” he said.
     The increased generation will not have a noticeable effect to the recreation areas.
   However, officials continue to advise people to use caution when visiting sites around the lakes.
    “For this time of year, the guide curve at Hartwell is four feet below full summer pool, which is 660 feet above msl,” said Melissa Wolf, Savannah District chief of natural resources section.
     “For Thurmond, the full summer pool is 330 feet above msl,” she said.
    More than two inches of rain has fallen on the watershed over the past two weeks and there will likely be more runoff than normal this time of year.