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Stacey Shelton had a June 26 article in the AJC. The headline: “Talk of Damming Flint River Stirs Anger”.

Stacey gives a brief summary of what’s happening in Georgia regarding dams and reservoirs. This is my abbreviation of her data.

*Environmental groups with Jimmy Carter on board are preparing to oppose an effort to construct a dam on the Flint River.

*Lynn Westmoreland proposed a feasibility study and impact study of building reservoirs on the Flint. The budget is $10 million.

*Nathan Deal is reported to be creating a bill to reauthorize federal projects on the Flint. Congress stopped these same lakes in 1986.

*The Georgia Legislature and our Governor “created a new state division to build new reservoirs and pumped in $120 million for the budget year that starts July 1.”

*The State has developed a list of 20 small dams that could be raised to increase storage capacity in the current ponds.

Then Stacey took off down a path that makes one question her ability to understand basic concepts of streams, dams and lakes. Here are the last two paragraphs and some comments from me.
 
“WHY WE LIKE RESERVOIRS
Without Lake Lanier, a 38,000-acre federal reservoir, there would be no Atlanta. On many days, especially during a drought, there’s not enough water in the Chattahoochee River to support the population. Thanks to Lanier, and Lake Allatoona, another large federal reservoir on the Etowah River, more that 4 million people can live here.”
 
Stacey missed an opportunity here. What benefits do we reap from Lanier? Oh, it provides drinking water for Atlanta. There is a whole lot more to like about Lanier and other reservoirs than they provide water for us to drink and water our lawns.
 
The immediate contribution of Lanier to the Chattahoochee River above, below and inside Atlanta was and still is FLOOD CONTROL. The River has not flooded and washed away anything since the dam was built. It used to flood almost every spring. Some times more than once a year. I guess 50 years with out a flood makes that a natural rather than planned benefit.
 
Control of low flows has provided many benefits.

*Trout fishing. One of the best trout fisheries around.

*The River has enough water to support all the creatures that normally live in a full and vital river. Fish, and shell fish, beaver and muskrats, and ducks. We never had and ducks in the river above Atlanta before Buford Dam was built. I have been told by friends that they have seen otters. I haven’t, but I believe they are there. We never had otters above Atlanta, and maybe not below, before the dam was built.

*Enough water to dilute the outfall from various sewage treatment plants along the river. Prior to Lanier there was very little water in the river during June, July and August. And when it rained that water rushed through this area on it way to the Gulf.

*Canoeing, rafting, swimming, even the parks along the River and their parking lots came after the dam.

“WHY WE DON’T LIKE RESERVOIRS
Dams forever change the natural flow of rivers and streams. They destroy wetlands, create water quality problems and block native fish and freshwater mussels from historic habitats. Also, due to evaporation, reservoirs result in a net loss of water from the river basin.”
 
That paragraph has some really enviro-whacko ideas. Here are three of them:
 
1. Dams forever change the natural flow of rivers and streams. As it turns out Floods also change the natural flow of streams. But maybe changing the natural flow of streams can be good. Can contribute to the health and welfare water creatures and plants. Examples:
 
On the Gwinnett farm off of Rock Springs Road where I grew up, the creek below our house would dry up during a drought. We would draw water from our well to water the cows and pigs. The SCS built a dam and pond up where the wet weather spring was. The creek never dried up again. The fish and other creatures below and above the dam thrived. And well they should have. Now they had a year round water supply. What a concept.
 
The Chattahoochee below Lanier is a healthy, vital stream because of one thing. Buford Dam and the reservoir created by it. But in today’s political and environmental environment Buford Dam could not be built.
 
2. Dams create water quality problems. What a blatantly irresponsible and inaccurate statement.
 
The water that comes out of Lanier is the clearest, coldest, cleanest, water around these parts. Every little thing that everybody loves about the Chattahoochee below Buford Dam is there and available because of one thing, the Dam.
 
This is not a complicated subject. When property is developed or farmed, in order to clean and treat the storm water it is routed through a dam. This is basic storm water treatment rules. Property cannot be developed with out providing storm water storage.
 
3. “Also, due to evaporation, reservoirs result in a net loss of water from the river basin.”
 
This is the biggest, boldest bald-faced exaggeration of them all.
 
A TALE OF TWO RIVER SYSTEMS.
River System A has no dams in any of the streams or rivers. When a rain event occurs rain falls to the ground. Most of the water runs off into streams, then into larger streams, then to rivers and on to the sea. Shortly after rain falls in this river system it is gone, completely gone. In the area where the rain fell the water is gone within hours. So every drop that did not soak into the ground is lost. Lost, never to be recovered. The net loss of water is about 100%.
 
Also in the first system, during the spring rains, or snow melt, or if a tropical storm occurred, there is nothing to attenuate the flows, so the river rises out of its banks and floods farms and villages and towns destroying wetlands as it goes. The flood waters take away trees and very likely changes the natural flow of the stream.
 
River System B has a series of dams and reservoirs. Many of the dams are on tributaries, but the larger ones are along the major rivers. A rain event occurs, maybe a major rain event like a hurricane or tropical storm. As the water runs off into the streams it is captured by the various dams and stored in the reservoirs. No flooding occurs.
 
The water is stored for months or weeks, or days or hours. What ever time is appropriate for the health and vitality of the river system. While the water is stored in the reservoir any mud or other pollutants that it picked up begin to settle out. The longer the water is in the reservoir the cleaner it is when it is released.
 
System A.
A drought occurs in the free flowing river system. People in the lower part of the river notice that the water flow is lower, but it ain’t no big deal because the river is big enough there to provide the water that they need.
 
People in the upper reaches of the river system are hurting. They have restrictions place on their use of water. They are told that they must practice conservation of their water. Some local governments require the use of cisterns. An outspoken problem solving individual points out to the government that: “The ideal cistern is a damn dam on the $)&$#@! River.” He is taken into custody and is never heard from again.
 
System B.
An extended drought occurs in the river system. The dams and reservoirs are managed well and are kept near full pool. Every one has plenty of water. There are plenty of fish and other water creatures and plants. Wetlands have developed and are thriving in the upper reaches of each reservoir. In fact wild life and water creatures are flourishing in the lakes and in the parks and forest around the lakes and stream.
 
System A.
The community leaders of this area are proud that all of their rivers and stream are free flowing and natural. It is unfortunate that the people and animals who live in the headwaters area have limited water available.
 
System B.
A study is done. And even though there are over 600 lakes and dams in the area, 73.4% of the original streams and rivers have not been disturbed by the reservoirs and continue to be steams and rivers. Further they are very healthy streams and rivers because they have a constant and consistent water flow which is provided by the reservoirs. The streams can be flooded when that is needed or the flow can be restricted when that is beneficial.
 
System A.
The community leaders are proud that they have no net loss of water to evaporation.
 
System B.
The above report estimates that up to 0.2 inch of water may evaporate daily during periods when the temperature reach the upper 90s. The community leaders and the people who enjoy life here observe that:
It is very difficult to measure 0.2 inch because of the surface tension of water and besides the breeze coming off the lake causes ripples in the water.