The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in response to a request from Franklin County, has started the process to consider a reallocation of water from Kerr Lake to address the county’s future water needs.
Among first steps in this process was a scoping meeting, which was held Mar. 26 in Warren County. USACE representatives fielded questions from the public at the meeting, which included an explanation of the process, which is expected to take years to complete.
The comment period remains open through April 10. Anyone interested in commenting can send an email to:
cesaw-jhkerr-reallocation-franklin@usace.army.mil
Speaking at the meeting, USACE’s David Connolly of the Wilmington District said he knew people were interested in impacts, including how docks would be affected, as well as hydroelectric power.
Connolly said these issues are among those that will be addressed throughout the study.
Franklin County wants to get 16.7 million gallons of water per day from Kerr Lake; with the anticipated growth in the area predicted to continue, county leaders want to take steps now to anticipate what they feel will be a water shortage in the next 50 years.
The goal of the scoping meeting is to inform the public about the process and to share information that will be considered.
With reservoirs and dams like Kerr Lake, the water is divided into three “pools” or areas – the sediment pool is at the bottom of the lake, the conservation storage pool is in the middle (that’s where the drinking water comes from) and the flood control storage pool is at the top (that’s what gets released to keep the Roanoke River basin regulated).
From the middle pool – the conservation storage pool – comes both drinking water and water that supplies hydro power and recreation uses.
Water customers like the Kerr Lake Regional Water System would most likely be concerned about water availability; the Corps of Engineers is most concerned about how hydroelectric power would be affected.
The KLRWS is building up to a 20-million-gallon a day draw; Franklin County has asked for 16.7 million gallons a day. Franklin County also is a KLRWS customer.
Right now, about 3 percent of the lake’s middle layer conservation storage pool is being used.
These topics and more will be considered in the study process. Connolly said the study will help to confirm that the allocation request is a reasonable one and would identify possible alternatives that would have less impact.
A draft report is scheduled to be ready by September 2027 – a year and a half from now.
Connolly reiterated that part of the process is to look at other measures that could work, compare it with the reallocation to determine feasibility.
In addition to providing an environmental impact analysis, the study will include a hydroelectric power analysis and a demand analysis. Once the draft report is completed, the Corps will have another 30-day comment period and a meeting similar to the one held last week.
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