Jan. 12, 2009

Alabama Power hopes to take advantage of recent rains

By Scott Wright

WEISS LAKE — Residents of Cherokee County didn't have to drive past very many flooded ditches or “road closed” signs to realize last week's rainstorm would also leave behind another novel sight that has been scarce for some time: A full Weiss reservoir.

Federal operating procedures mandate that Weiss be maintained at certain levels leading up to May 1, when the lake is scheduled to be at full summer pool (564 ft. above sea level). But after a drought that has lasted for years, officials at Alabama Power Co., which operates the dam, hope to take advantage of the opportunity last week's rains presented.

“We have already asked for a rule curve variance from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [FERC] that will allow us to bring Weiss Lake to full pool earlier than usual,” Alabama Power Co. spokeswoman Gina Warren told The Post on Friday. “We want to get to summer pool sooner than what our license allows.”

Warren said last week's freakishly fierce rains may afford the company the opportunity to get ahead of weather conditions that have had the utility on the defensive for years. She said normal operating procedures would call for the lake to be at winter pool [558 ft. above sea level] at this time of year.

“But we want to hold and fill the lake at a higher level than normal,” she said. “We've had all of this rain so we are releasing some so there is no flooding. But at the same time we are supposed to continue to have drier-than-normal conditions this year, so we want to keep as much water as we can.”

Warren said company officials in Birmingham have plenty of good reasons, based on past experience, to ask for the variance.

“Hopefully, this will allow us to better position ourselves if we have the dry winter and spring that the National Weather Service is predicting for 2009,” she said. We have had this historic, five-year drought and Weiss is at the top of our system so what we do here can have impacts all the way down our Coosa River system of dams.”

Warren said the process of applying for a variance from FERC can be “laborious.” But she said the lengthy process is not necessarily a bad thing.

“That way, all the interested parties can weigh in,” she said. “For example, downstream there are industries that use water from the Coosa and they need certain levels to meet their required federal and state water quality standards. Also there are navigation interests to consider, and part of our license agreement is to do what we can to make sure all those various needs are met by the amount of water we send downstream.”

Warren said in the meantime, Alabama Power has a team of specialists working around-the-clock to ensure the situation is handled properly – and taken full advantage of.

“They are constantly looking at the entire system,” she said. “Right now we are maintaining our standard operating practices to control flooding, which all has to be timed so we don't flood anyone downstream. But we still want to take advantage of all this extra water if we can.”