Opinion ID: 1559181
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The May 2003 Flood

Text: The Tallapoosa River basin flooded in early May 2003 as a result of heavy rainfall upstream and downstream from Harris Dam. It is undisputed that APCo maintained the lake level at the Martin reservoir in compliance with the operating curve in Settlement Exhibit H, as amended, before the flood. The parties dispute how far in advance APCo was on notice of the potential for flooding in May 2003. The parties also dispute whether APCo could have been aware of the precise location rainfall would be heaviest and, consequently, where inflows would be higher along the Tallapoosa River. It is undisputed that on May 7, 2003, APCo pre-evacuated water through the turbines at Martin Dam and lowered the lake level to 489.24 feet. Accordingly, the Martin reservoir had approximately .7 feet of storage space for flood-control operations at the time of the May 2003 flood. The inflow into the Martin reservoir peaked between 1 and 2 o'clock a.m. on May 9, 2003. During the storms, APCo engaged in controlled releases of water, keeping the lake level at 489.94 feet. The peak discharge from Martin Dam during the flood was approximately 128,300 cfs. APCo's flood-control operations reduced flows by approximately 9,300 cfs immediately downstream from Martin Dam. It is undisputed that during the May 2003 flood, APCo complied with the flood-control procedures in the 1978 amendment to Settlement Exhibit H and with Articles 33 and 35 of the Thurlow license. APCo also coordinated with the Corps of Engineers as required by Settlement Exhibit H. At all times during the May 2003 flood, the rate of outflow from Harris, Martin, Yates, and Thurlow Dams was less than the concurrent rate of inflow, except after the inflow peaked and the dams were operated to evacuate water that had accumulated in the storage spaces of the reservoirs. The parties dispute whether the May 2003 rain event was a common event or an unusual event. The record does not include detailed information regarding damage to the farmers' properties as a result of the May 2003 flood; however, the parties do not dispute that the farmers' properties were damaged. The farmers' expert testified that APCo did not maintain storage space at Martin reservoir during the summer months and that what storage space was available during the May 2003 flood was not enough. The expert declined to state what lake level APCo should have maintained at Lake Martin; however, he opined that APCo should have reserved between 2 and 3 feet of storage space during the summer months for flood control, thus maintaining a lake level of between 487 and 488 feet, below the operating curve. The farmers' expert admitted that his calculations did not account for intervening flows downstream from Martin Dam and stated that even more storage space should have been reserved to account for downstream flows between Martin Dam and the farmers' properties. The expert also testified that an additional foot and a half of storage space would not have prevented the May 2003 flooding and that operating under the flood-control procedures stated in Settlement Exhibit H instead of the 1978 amendment would not have made any appreciable difference in the flooding that occurred downstream.