# Presentation: 787157

## CORPS OF ENGINEERS

**NWS Meeting**
**Tallahassee, FL, July 19, 2006**

**Notes:**
The Water Management Section is part of the Engineering Division of the Mobile District Corps of Engineers.  The section is headed by Memphis Vaughan and has 4 engineers (incl Mr. Vaughan), 4 technicians, 1 meteorologist, 1 hydrologist, and 2 engineering-interns.

## Water Management Staff

- Supervisory Hydraulic Engineer
- 4 Hydraulic Engineers
- 1 Engineer Intern
- 1 Hydrologist
- 1 Meteorologist
- 3 Hydrologic Technicians

- Office staffed 365 days/year (limited hours on weekends)

**Notes:**
The Water Management Section is part of the Engineering Division of the Mobile District Corps of Engineers.  The section is headed by Memphis Vaughan and has 5 engineers (incl Mr. Vaughan), 3 technicians, 1 meteorologist, 1 hydrologist, and 1 engineering-intern.

## Mobile District River Basins

**Mobile District River Basins**

**Notes:**
The Mobile District river basins extend from eastern Mississippi, across Alabama excluding the Tennessee River, into western Georgia.  The District consists of 28 locks and dams.

## Water Management

-  Flood
-  Control

- Water Supply

- Recreation

- Water Quality

- Hydropower

- Navigation

**Notes:**
Water Management services as the central player in the management of water resources as it relates to the various components of the river systems.  Water Quality & Environmental, Hydropower, Recreation, Municipal and Industrial water supply, Navigation, and Flood Control.

## ACF River System

- Lake Sidney Lanier
- Hydroelectric Power      Navigation
- Recreation                      Flood Control
- Water Supply                  Fish/Wildlife
- Water Quality

- Walter F. George Lake
- Hydroelectric Power
- Navigation
- Recreation
- Fish/Wildlife
- Water Quality

- Lake Seminole
- Hydroelectric Power      Navigation
- Recreation                      Fish/Wildlife
- Water Quality

**ACF River System**

- George W.
- Andrews Lake
- Navigation
- Water Quality
- Recreation

- West Point Lake
- Flood Control 	Recreation
- Fish/Wildlife 	Navigation
- Hydroelectric Power 	Water Quality

**Notes:**
This slide shows the various project purposes for the locks and dams on the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River

## Navigation

-  Make releases to maintain a
-  desired stage for  navigators

-  Seasonal navigation periods

-  Special releases during other periods

**Notes:**
Releases are made from the various lakes on the system to help maintain commercial navigation on the system.  The navigable portion of the system extends up the Apalachicola River and to Columbus, GA on the Chattahoochee River and to Bainbridge, GA on the Flint River.  

On the Apalachicola River, navigation "windows" were being utilized during
the summer and early fall months when water conditions become too dry for
continuous periods of adequate depths.  The "windows" are typically 10-day periods where the river is held at a specified level guaranteeing shippers a pre-determined depth and adequate lead time to move onto the system. 

## Hydropower

-  Southeastern Power Administration
-    (SEPA) makes actual schedule within
-    range specified by Water Mgt.

-  Adjustments to schedule made
-    as needed

-  Generation incidental benefit when
-    releases made for other purposes

-  Determine weekly generation based   system needs and to meet monthly  energy agreements

**Notes:**
Weekly generation is determined by Water Management based on what is needed downstream and to meet the monthly contract requirements.

This information is passed on to SEPA who makes the actual schedules based on the needs by the power companies to meet their peak demand.  Thus the dams at Buford, West Point, and W. F. George are called “peaking” plants.  Woodruff Dam is a run-of-the-river project, which is generating continuously due to lack of significant storage in the lake.

Adjustments to the generation schedules are made as needed to meet changing requirements that may occur on a day-to-day basis.  These changes may be the result of request from the Corps or due to changes in the power companies’ needs. 

## Recreation

-  Maintain lakes as full as possible
-      according to Water Control Plan

-  Adjust water levels to accommodate
-      special activities on the lakes

-  Make special releases for recreational
-      activities downstream

**Notes:**
The Water Control Plan strives to maintain a full lake level at all times of the year to ensure adequate water for recreation while meeting downstream needs.

Water levels may also be manipulated to meet various special activities on the lakes such as fishing tournaments, clean-up days, and events such as the Olympics.

Even when lake levels are not full, recreational activities continue to be available at the lakes. 

## Environmental & Water Quality

-  Support for fish spawning and other fish and
-       wildlife conservation measures

-  Coordinate releases and levels to enhance water
-       quality and environmental needs

-  Provide releases to meet downstream targets  and water quality needs

-  Provide gradual stepdown of river levels
-      where necessary

**Notes:**
During the peak bass spawning season, the lake levels are maintained as stable as possible to enhance the spawn.

Releases and lake levels can be manipulated to enhance the fisheries on the system.

Releases are made to meet downstream targets for water quality .

## Municipal and Industrial Water Supply

-  Provide water for industries and municipalities

**Notes:**
During the peak bass spawning season, the lake levels are maintained as stable as possible to enhance the spawn.

Releases and lake levels can be manipulated to enhance the fisheries on the system.

Releases are made to meet downstream targets for water quality .

## Flood Control

-  Store water in lake during event

-  Monitor downstream points

-  Evacuate water as quickly as
-    practicable when downstream
-    conditions allow

-  Winter drawdown at several lakes

-  Provide notification to Emergency
-       Management Offices

**Notes:**
During flood events, water may be  stored in the lakes that are authorized for flood control.  Some releases are made during the flood event but at a rate that is significantly lower than what would have occurred if the dam was not there.  This effectively takes the peak off of the flood wave.

Downstream points are monitored hourly to determine the levels at critical points.  This information is used to guide releases from the dams.  For example, when potentially threatening rainfall is forecasted for the Atlanta area, releases from the Buford Dam are curtailed and several downstream gages are monitored to determine when the flood has crested in that area.  Only then are releases resumed from Buford.

Once the downstream conditions have improved, releases from the dam are made to evacuate the water as quickly as practicable to allow adequate storage in the lakes for the next rainfall event.

##  Water Control Plan

-    for determining releases and lake
-    levels for  various times of year

-  Water Control Plan

-  Balances all lakes in system

**Notes:**
The Water Control Plan is a plan developed around 1989 which utilizes action zones at several of the projects to help guide the operation of the lakes and dams.  The plan was derived from past operations of the dams according to the regulation manuals.  The action zones provide guide curves for determining the releases from the dams given the level of the lakes at a given time. 

The plan attempts to equitably balance all of the lakes in the system as well as equitably address the project requirements at each lake.

For example, when the lakes are in Zone 1, all project needs are typically met.  If the lakes are in Zone 2, restrictions on navigation and hydropower releases are implemented.  In Zone 3, only minimum releases are for navigation and minimal hydropower generated.  And finally, in Zone 4, navigation is not maintained and minimal hydropower is generated.  Throughout all 4 zones, water supply and water quality is met.

The graphs above show how the zones are used in conjunction with forecasted lake levels.

## Flood Control Actions

-  Store water in lake during storm event

-  Monitor gages and downstream points

-  Follow surcharge schedule to make releases                     at projects when/if required

-  Notify emergency management offices

-  Provide updated data to River Forecast Center

-  Make press releases to impacted areas

-  Exchange data with River Forecast Center

-  Receive hourly reports from Corps projects

- During Storm Events

## Slide 14

## Slide 15

## Other NWS Products and Information

-  Flash Flood Guidances
-  Observed Rainfall
-  Radar Observations
-  Stage Forecasts
-  Briefings by RFC Staff
-  Information provided by Corps Staff Meteorologist

## ACF Flood Notification

- Dam
- Operator

- Water
- Management
- Section

- Other Situational

- Local EMA

- FL EMA

- GA EMA

- South Atlantic
- Division

- SERFC

- Resource
- Manager

- Emergency
- Operations

- GA
- Power

- Public

- Public
- Affairs

- AL EMA

## Flood Control Actions

-  Evacuate water as quickly as practicable when downstream conditions allow

-  Follow surcharge schedule to make releases                     at projects when/if required

-  Conduct after action activities

- After Storm Events

## Floods Prevented in West Point and Lanett Area

- Flood Stage (FS)=19’    Out of Banks

- FS=20’   Streets, Houses on Railroad Tracks, Boiler Room - Dye Works

- FS=22’   Basements of many buildings, Main Floors of some

- FS=24’   Most Businesses in West Point, Streets in Lanett, Homes in West Point

***Chattahoochee River***

**           ****RECENT FLOODS**
**            ****Flood Stage       Without**
_**Year**__**	**__**Level**_**     **_**West Point Lake**_
**1976****	****16.0****	****      21.2**
**1979****	****17.1 ****	****      20.4**
**1982****	****13.1****	****      20.9**
**1990****	****18.1****	****      24.1**
_**2003**__**	**__**22.3**__**	**__**      30.8 **__**	**_

## Water Management Homepage

- http://water.sam.usace.army.mil