Lake Naomi Topics: Don't forget....

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	Name:	Osms -
	Subject:	Don't forget....
	Date:	7/31/2010 2:19:53 PM

Water quality is an extremely complex issue and I will not pretend to have any knowledge to share; however, as I have related, possible effects of raising the winter water level on water quality have been studied by many groups and the consensus as reported at the relicensing meeting is that raising the winter level by up to 5' will have little or no effect on water quality. The Tallapoosa River watershed is blessed with mostly timberland and few industrial polluters, few municipal waste water treatment plants, few chicken, hog, or cattle feeding operations that are the biggest source of pollution. While lawn fertilizer certainly is a source of nutrients for the lake, other sources are of a larger concern.

The lake only rose to 486' in the summer of 2007, was down over 8 feet on July 4, and reached 479' (down 11') by the end of September 2007 --that's a lot worse than the few inches you mentioned. That drought devastated the lake dependent businesses in 2007 and 2008; many closed and many more have never recovered, so the lake level is important for the entire economy of the area.

We hope everyone will be able to see the "big picture" and not think of their personal situation and desires.

Raising the lake level in winter has been advocated for many years. Not only raising the winter level, but keeping the lake up later in the fall and raising it earlier in the spring as a way to improve recreation and the economy of the area. Lake Martin is the economic engine for the three county area, and as more and more mills close, the area will become more dependent on the lake. Alabama Power has delayed consideration of raising the level for years, until the relicensing process could begin -- now is the time, and it won't come around for another 30 or 40 years.

We have advocated an adaptive management approach to the lake and certainly agree that flexibility should be incorporated in lake level issue. Unfortunately, there currently is no flexibility provided by FERC, which led to our situation in 2007.

Someone said that if you forget the past, the past will surely repeat itself.