Nolin River Lake Topics: Some answers.....

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	Name:	LifeTime Laker -
	Subject:	Some answers.....
	Date:	8/24/2006 9:55:42 AM

1. APCO use varies with conditions. Higher heat = higher usage = higher production = higher water usage. The current heat waves all over the nation have required increased production for systems blessed with a large supply of hydro power. APCO will sell to other systems at times, and a rate up to ten times what we pay. Usaully these transfers are kept to about a 300 mile radious, but power can be sent to any system in the country.

2. Usage does vary during drought, but is not controlled by the local dam. All production and downstream releases are controlled by the central office in Birmingham, following guidelines set by the Corps of Engineers as to water levels. Not all releases are for power production, downstream navigation sometimes requires 'extra' water.

3. Depending on condition (heat/humidity) the lake can loose up to an inch per day due to evaporation, but this sometimes come back to us in the form of 'pop-up thunderstorms'. The rains we have had in recent weeks have NO effect on the lake. They are too localized. Just because you get a nice soaking in Sandy Creek does'nt mean that anywhere else on the lake got ANY. It takes significant rainfall upstream (north AL/GA) to make an impact. Also you must consider that despite dire warnings of appocaliptic flooding form the Global Warming Whacko's we have had NO Tropical storm, or hurricane remnants to dump massive rainfall into our watershed.

I hope this answers some of your questions. I am sure carnac will be along shortly to tell the world that I don't know what I am talking about, so I will challenge him now to find any reputable source to come here and prove me wrong. My source is a family member who has spent 20 or so of his 25+ years with APCO/Southern Co. in the hydro department, including the overseeing of the last turbine upgrade at Martin Dam, the bedrock anchoring (I can't remember the fancy name APCO used for this project, but by far one of the most interesting) of all the concrete dams in AL, and too many other projects to name here. In fact any time he is assigned to Martin for a project he stays at my house and we have LOTS of imformative conversations about many aspects of the hydro systems in AL. I have tried passing some of this knowledge along through this forum thoughout the years. Some have enjoyed it, others use it as an opportunity to flame me. Either way I hope each person gets what he wants/needs from my posts.