Middle Chattahoochee - Georgia's State Water Plan

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2. The Middle ChattahoocheeWater Planning RegionWith regard to water quality regulation, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)signed final nutrient standards for free flowing streams and lakes in Florida 13 as aresult of a federal lawsuit under the Clean Water Act. As promulgated, these criteriarequire increased control of nutrients in Georgia in order to meet downstreamstandards. These new nutrient standards, scheduled to take effect on March 6, 2012,may impact water quality management in this region and other regions with riversystems that cross into Florida. The state of Florida has filed a federal lawsuitchallenging the agency’s final rule on the grounds that “the rule and the agency’snecessity determination for promulgating nutrient criteria were arbitrary, capricious,and an abuse of discretion.” 14With this local policy context as a backdrop, the Middle Chattahoochee WaterCouncil began this planning process in 2009. At the outset, it became clear that theplan would be based on the current scenarios due to the uncertainties of theoutcome of political and environmental issues.2.3.1 Corps of Engineers Reservoir OperationsThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps of Engineers) Mobile District operates fivefederal reservoir projects on the Chattahoochee River: Buford Dam (Lake Lanier),West Point Dam, Walter F. George Lock and Dam, George W. Andrews Lock andDam, and Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam (Lake Seminole). These are multi-purposeprojects for which operations have been congressionally authorized (see Table 2-1).The Corp of Engineer’s ACF operations are guided by a Master Water ControlManual. The manual is intended to set operational guidelines to “achieve andbalance all authorized project purposes” by operating the federal projects as asystem 15 .In the absence of an updated Master Water Control Manual, the Corp of Engineershas been operating the ACF Basin under a set of guidelines currently referred to asthe Revised Interim Operation Plan (RIOP). The RIOP is intended to govern thereleases from Woodruff Dam until replaced with a new Master Water Control Manual.The RIOP was formulated to address protection of endangered and threatenedspecies and critical habitat in the Apalachicola River, manage reservoir storage forother project purposes, and meet drought contingencies.13 "Federal Water Quality Standards for the State of Florida | Regulatory Information | US EPA." EPAOffice of Water Home | Water | US EPA. Web. 16 Dec. 2010.http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/florida_index.cfm>.14 Environment Reporter: News Archive > 2010 > 12/10/2010 > Florida: State Sues to BlockImplementation Of EPA’s Numeric Water Quality Standards.15 Andy Ashley, Chief of Water Management USACOE, Mobile District, ACF Water Control ManualUpdate, slides presented at the Middle Chattahoochee Water Council meeting on June 22, 2010.MIDDLE CHATTAHOOCHEESeptember 20112-8
2. The Middle ChattahoocheeWater Planning RegionThe RIOP defined four action zones for Buford, West Point, and Walter F. Georgethat were intended to address the use of conservation storage in conjunction withoperation of the other two federal reservoirs in the system (Lakes Andrews andSeminole). The Middle Chattahoochee Water Planning Council has identified that theaction zone values as developed contradict and compromise authorized purposes,specifically, recreational use at West Point Lake.Also according to the RIOP, the Corps of Engineers must provide a minimum releasefrom the Woodruff Lock and Dam at Lake Seminole of 5,000 cubic feet per second(cfs) to address protection of endangered and threatened species and critical habitatin the Apalachicola River. This flow target can be reduced to 4,500 cfs when thestorage left in the three major storage reservoirs on the Chattahoochee fall below thetotal composite storage of Action Zone 4. The 5,000 cfs minimum release is notagreed upon between the three states, yet greatly impacts the surface water andwater quality assessment performed as part of the regional water planning effort.As a matter of record for the Middle Chattahoochee Council’s Regional Water Plan, itshould be made clear that the Master Water Control Manual update had not beenissued at the time of the plan finalization in September 2011. An update to themaster water control manual is expected to be published in 2012 as the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers responds to the court’s directions in the ongoing litigation;however, the exact schedule is unknown at this point. Further details regarding theMaster Water Control Manual update are provided in the U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers Water Control Manual Status supplemental document available on theMiddle Chattahoochee website 16 and on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ website.It should also be noted that the Middle Chattahoochee Water Council has made clearthat the 1989 Water Control Plan and the current RIOP are both inadequate. In fact,the Council has stated that these operational practices contribute to many of the riverand lake problems that cause social, economic, biological and supply and qualityimpacts along the Chattahoochee. It is the Council’s expectation that the revisedMaster Water Control Manual will put forth significant operational changescontemplated to address the gaps.September 201116 http://www.middlechattahoochee.org/pages/our_plan/index.phpMIDDLE CHATTAHOOCHEE2-9
Page 3 and 4: Istruzione d’usoFT(Esempio: lo sg
Page 5 and 6: Table of ContentsFIGURES1-1 River B
Page 7 and 8: AcronymsAcronyms and AbbreviationsA
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Page 11 and 12: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Page 13 and 14: Executive SummaryExecutive SummaryT
Page 15 and 16: Executive SummaryWater Demand in 20
Page 17 and 18: Executive Summarywhich better balan
Page 19 and 20: 1. INTRODUCTION
Page 27 and 28: 2. THE MIDDLECHATTACHOOCHEE WATERPL
Page 29 and 30: 2. The Middle ChattahoocheeWater Pl
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Page 39 and 40: 3. WATER RESOURCES OFOF THE MIDDLEC
Page 63 and 64: 4. FORECASTING FUTUREWATER RESOURCE
Page 65 and 66: 4. Forecasting Future WaterResource
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6. ADDRESSING WATERNEEDS AND REGION
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7. IMPLEMENTING WATERMANAGEMENT PRA
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8. MONITORING ANDREPORTING PROGRESS
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8. Monitoring and Reporting Progres
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8. Monitoring and Reporting Progres
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Middle Chattahoochee - Georgia's State Water Plan

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