July 9, 2013
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Frustration over inaction on Weiss winter level By SCOTT WRIGHT CENTRE — A decade-old effort to alter the Army Corps of Engineers' flood control parameters for Weiss Lake that would result in higher wintertime water levels is barely oozing towards a end, according to representatives from a pair of local organizations. “We're back to square one,” said Rebecca Watson of Save Weiss Lake (SWL), who for months has immersed herself in the details of a long-sought alteration that she said would “improve overall quality of the lake, increase recreational use and tourism, and protect lakefront property values and businesses from months of unusable lake areas.” Weiss Lake Improvement Association President Carolyn Landrem said the process, begun with a request by her organization in 2000, is neither over nor anywhere near a conclusion. “This is not a dead issue, it's moving forward,” Landrem said. “But the federal government moves slowly. It's frustrating.” Last month, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) granted Alabama Power a new license to operate its Coosa River Basin project—which includes Weiss Lake—for the next 30 years. But a request to alter the winter water level in Weiss was denied by the Corps of Engineers, which oversees flood control operations along the entire river system. According to Watson, FERC's final decision, issued on June 20, included the following: “This license … does not authorize Alabama Power's proposal to raise the winter pool elevation for Weiss … because it will hinder the Corps' flood control responsibilities.” Landrem said she has spoken with representatives from the Corps who told her they will soon request additional information from Alabama Power about past lake levels. “The Corps wants to ensure that the flood control aspects of Alabama Power's operations on Weiss can still be met,” Landrem said. “They want Alabama Power to show that they can still meet their flood control obligations with a three-foot winter drop.” The Post first reported of organized efforts to reduce the winter drawdown from 6 feet to 3 feet in October 2005. At that time, members of the WLIA said that after five years of lobbying, they had finally persuaded officials from Alabama Power to request the change when its operating license came up for renewal. WLIA had first asked Alabama Power for the change in 2000, initially meeting resistance from the company that built the 30,200-acre late in 1961. Eventually, however, company officials acquiesced to repeated requests and included the proposal in their license renewal application. Prior to last month, the license renewal had been under consideration for several years. Alabama Power continued to operate Weiss Dam via annual federal rollovers of its existing license during the review. Full pool in Weiss Lake is 564 feet above sea level, and is ideally achieved by May 1. The water drops to 558 ft. above sea level by December 31 before beginning its four-month rise back to summer level. Watson, whose SWL group gained official non-profit status earlier this year, said future efforts should be focused on the Corps because they will ultimately make the decision about a revised winter water level. “The Corps … has authority to specify the flood regulation schedules and approve any changes,” she said. “As citizens of Cherokee County, we need to ban together to convince the Corps to take action.” Landrem, one of the first members of WLIA when it was founded in the late 1990s, welcomed the efforts of a new local organization with a focus on what's best for Weiss. “More people means a louder voice of advocacy for the lake,” she said. |