“We are happy people are feeling some relief,” said Alyson Fuqua, a spokeswoman for Alabama Power Company.
A week ago Alabama Power announced it would halt fishery and recreational flows in an effort to fill its reservoirs along the Coosa River Basin.
APC reduced flows and is currently only releasing minimum flows at dams along the Coosa River.
The flow reduction has helped raise the Logan Martin Lake level.
“We do need more rain to finish out the process,” Fuqua said. “We’re hoping to continue moving in the right direction.”
A week ago, the lake was about two feet below the summer pool mark. The lake normally reaches the summer pool level of 465 feet above sea level by the first week in May.
Fuqua said APC officials hope reservoirs will reach their normal summer pool level soon.
“We aren’t saying we won’t get there,” she said.
Fuqua said last week’s rain helped some, but more rain is needed.
“Basically, the rain saved last week has come and gone,” she said. “We do anticipate staying at the current level.”
While APC is working to fill its lakes along the Coosa River Basin, the U.S Army Corps of Engineers Mobile District reservoirs, Carters Lake and Lake Allatoona, are above their normal summer pool levels.
“We are where we are supposed to be,” Lisa Coghlan, deputy public affairs officer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, said Monday.
She said in anticipation of continued drought conditions the corps is holding back water at both its Georgia reservoirs.
Fuqua said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will release water from the upstream reservoirs to help maintain required releases by APC.
“Right now, I just don’t know how much,” she said.
Coghlan said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers received more rainfall in the river basins for Carters Lake and Lake Allatoona than APC reservoirs in the lower Coosa River Basin. She said that is why the two U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lakes are above their normal summer pool levels.
Carters Lake was at 1,075.40 feet above sea level at 1 p.m. Monday. The normal summer pool for that reservoir is 1,074 feet.
Lake Allatoona, which is on the Etowah River, a tributary to the Coosa River, was at 840.79 Monday afternoon. The normal summer pool level for Lake Allatoona is 840 feet above sea level.
“We’re holding back water,” Coghlan said. “But if they (APC) request water, we’ll give it to them.”
Contact David Atchison at datchison@dailyhome.com.
