Corps Opening Spillway Gates on Savannah River Dams

Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said that due to the recent rains in the Upper Savannah River Basin, they are anticipating a need to operate the spillway gates early this morning at Hartwell Dam, along with the other two dams in the Savannah River system, Russell and Thurmond.

The Corps said that once spillway gates are opened, they will likely remain opened for five to seven days, until water from the recent storm event can be safely evacuated from the reservoirs, making room for futurestorms.

Water managers said there is no cause for concern, adding that the dams and reservoirs were designed and equipped to handle this kind of event and they are well within their operating parameters.

According to Corps officials, record-breaking December rainfall is the cause of increased water levels at all three reservoirs and the scheduled operational releases will increase flood storage capacity, allowing the reservoirs to manage additional rain and inflows.

Corps officials went on to say that the issue has been further exacerbated by above-average rainfall in both October and November, along with December.

Officials did advise caution to people who might be near the Savannah River below Thurmond Dam for the next several days because that are may see higher and faster water flows because of the rain and the releases.

The Corps said the road to the Hartwell Power Plant will be closed to vehicle traffic and adds some Corps managed recreation areas upstream near the reservoirs may close for public safety reasons as lake levels rise.