By By Justin Schuver
special to the standard
Monday and Tuesday’s rainfall forced PowerSouth Energy Cooperative to start a “controlled release” of lake water at its Gantt and Point A dams, in order to meet government safety regulations.
Mark Ingram, corporate communication manager for PowerSouth, explained that government regulations state that Gantt Lake’s water depth must be kept between 33.8 and 34.3 feet, and Point A Lake’s water depth kept between 40 and 40.5 feet. As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, pool levels were at 34.13 feet at Gantt and 39.95 feet at Point A.
Ingram said that during inclement weather workers at the energy control center in the Andalusia headquarters, as well as workers at the Point A and Gantt control rooms, work together to follow “the guidelines and flowcharts” that explain when to open and close the floodgates at the dams.
Ingram added it is sometimes hard to find a balance to keep water levels steady, not only at the PowerSouth dams, but all along the Conecuh River.
Ingram said PowerSouth will continue to closely monitor conditions on the lakes through (Tuesday night), and manage its resources with extreme caution.
Real-time information about the Conecuh River at Point A Dam is available on PowerSouth’s Web site (www.powersouth.com), in the “Newsroom” section.