From: Lovett, Barry K. Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2002 5:44 PM To: '[email protected]' Cc: '[email protected]'; '[email protected]'; Dykes, William C.; '[email protected]'; 'bhuffaker@[email protected]'; '[email protected]'; '[email protected]'; '[email protected]'; Smith, Sheila C.; '[email protected]'; '[email protected]'; '[email protected]'; Smith, Sheila C.; Tignor, Danny G.; '[email protected]'; Bryant, Keith E.; 'Mr. Jeff Duncan (E-mail)'; Crew, James F.; '[email protected]'; Sheppard, Andrew R.; '[email protected]'; '[email protected]'; Pierson, John M.; 'Ms. Janet Hutzel (E-mail)'; 'Ms. Patti Leppert (E-mail)' Subject: Lay Recreation Issue Action Group Don, Please excuse the distribution on the letter emailed earlier this afternoon. Here is the identical letter with the appropriate distribution. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Don, Thanks for your emails of 2/11 and 2/12 (Attached for those IAG members not included in the original email). As you know, our plan in the Lay Recreation IAG will be to develop solutions to Lay recreational issues in a cooperative, methodical approach utilizing the Standard Process previously developed by the Mitchell IAG (and agreed to by the CCRT) for use on the Coosa and Warrior reservoirs. We will be glad to incorporate your comments into the process, as they apply. For example, the shoreline fishing issue and park issue were both raised in the January 30th meeting. These were incorporated into the draft vision statement that we are scheduled to discuss in our conference call on February 19th. As we discussed in the January 30th meeting, at this stage of the process, we are developing a broad, general recreational vision for Lay. That vision will incorporate items that address current and future recreation demands for shoreline fishing, access and the like. Specific measures for facilities or operational changes are somewhat premature, until we determine what the future recreational needs are (Step 3). As we move through the standard process, perceived public safety issues will be identified in Step 2, item number 12. Public safety items will then be discussed in the R2 issue action group, when it is formed later this year. Water quality, erosion, siltation, wetland issues have been or will be discussed in Ecological Issue Action Groups E3, E2, E2 and E12 respectively. Lake level issues will be incorporated into this Lay Recreation Group, as they apply to access to recreational facilities and the reservoir. Lake level issues, as they relate to ecological issues are currently being addressed in the E8 Issue Action Group. Again, thanks for your input. We look forward to discussing specific comments and recommendations on the draft vision statement for recreation on the Lay reservoir with you and other IAG members next week. If there are additional issues or questions about the Standard Process, please give me a call. Thanks. Barry Lovett Coosa - Warrior Relicensing Southern Company Generation (205) 257-1268 (205) 257-1596 Fax (205) 902-3332 Cell [email protected] 1 Recreation. LAKE LEVEL park.doc (34 KB)CTUATIONS.ZIP ( 2 Recreation – Lay Lake • Lay Lake needs additional shoreline fishing opportunities. • Lay Lake needs selective cutting of standing timber to provide improved recreational boating. See the Map prepared by Alabama Marine Police Officer Webster. • Floating timber is a hazard to recreational boaters. • Swimming is unattractive because of the high silt content of the water. See the article about Consumers Power of Michigan. • Lay Lake needs a quality park with restrooms, boat launch, fishing and picnicking opportunities. Alabama Power has built and maintains the following Parks; D.A.R.E. PARK – Lake Martin Reservoir. 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM seasonal operation with contract caretakers. TALLAPOOSA COUNTY POPULATION 4/1/2000 41,475 FLAT ROCK PARK – R. L. Harris Reservoir 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM seasonal operation with contract caretakers. RANDOLPH COUNTY POPULATION 4/1/2000 22,380 TEN ISLANDS HISTORIC PARK – Neely Henry Reservoir 5:00 AM – 9:00 PM 365 day operation with supervision from the Dam personnel and contract caretakers during the busy season. CALHOUN COUNTY POPULATION 4/1/2000 112,249 ST, CLAIR COUNTY POPULATION 4/1/2000 64,742 TOTAL 166,034 LAY LAKE POPULATION – TALLADEGA COUNTY POPULATION 4/1/2000 80,321 SHELBY COUNTY POPULATION 4/1/2000 143,293 TOTAL 223,614 Lay Lake is one of the busiest recreational Alabama Power lakes in Alabama. Lay Lake has the most population awaiting access to this popular recreational facility without counting the people from Jefferson, Chilton and Coosa Counties. Talladega has over 24 miles of continuous shoreline below Childersburg without a single free boat launch and no parks. The ideal place for a park would be the HISTORIC FORT WILLIAMS 1812 CEMETERY located adjacent to Cedar Creek. This is where some of General Jackson’s Tennessee Volunteers were buried due to the Historic Battle of Bulldog Bend. (The battle site is a National Park near Dadeville.) This unimproved waterfront site could become a proud addition to the Alabama Power Parks program. Lay Lake has a need for more shoreline fishing opportunities. This site would supply that demand for it has a little of a mile and a ¼ of shoreline. This 87 acre property is owned by Aleta D. Schanbacher, P. O. Box 1972, Birmingham, AL 35201. This site has a county maintained road running though it. The other potential site is the Old Camp Brownie location. This is a 40-acre waterfront property approximately three and one quarter miles upstream from the Fort Williams Cemetery. This property is owned by the Hawaiier Timber Land LLC, 3891 Klein Road, Harpersville, AL 35078. These two potential Park sites are where the population would have good access. If the park were to be in the wilderness, much of the population would not be encouraged to visit it. Only the people looking for lonely places would want to make the trip. We need a family oriented park. A proposed bridge connecting Shelby County and Talladega County is close to becoming a reality. The proposed location is in between these two park sites. This park will be a real boon to those who do not own lake front property. This park will offer access to thousands of families who have been denied the Lay Lake recreational opportunities in the past. LAKE LEVEL FLUCTUATIONS – LAY LAKE Objectives - Stabilize water levels to reduce erosion - Stabilize water levels to keep the recreational water surface above hazards. - Stabilize water levels to reduce the erosive action at the bottom of seawalls. - Stabilize water levels to protect the marine life at the shoreline. - Stabilize water levels to protect the Wetlands. - Stabilize water levels so boathouses are operational. When the water level is approximately 6” below normal pool, many boathouses are impaired. - Stabilize water levels to reduce the re-suspension of sediment from the lake bottom. Please refer to the attached graph reflecting the recording of random water levels on the main river across from Dry Branch Creek. These recordings do not reflect the tops or bottoms of each cycle. The Measurements were taken from the top of my pier. Please note that 1” of water on this 12,000 acre lake = 326 Billion Gallon of water. We recommend: • That the Logan Martin Dam Hydro facility be operated to add water to Lay Lake prior to the Lay Lake Dam Hydro facility operation to remove water from Lay Lake. • That the generation cycle be limited to .3 of a foot water level change from normal pool 2001 Lay Lake Pool Levels Taken From Dock Across From Entrance To Dry Branch 2 28-Jun 9:00 AM 28-Jun 6:26 PM 29-Jun 6:57 AM 29-Jun 7:51 PM 0 30-Jun 7:00 PM 3-Jul 9:00 AM 5-Jul 8:48 AM 5-Jul 2:04 PM -2 5-Jul 6:35 PM 5-Jul 7:50 PM 11-Jul 12:48 PM 12-Jul 11:15 AM -4 12-Jul 5:55 PM 13-Jul 8:35 AM 13-Jul 10:37 AM 14-Jul 8:30 AM -6 14-Jul 3:00 PM Water Level In Inches 17-Jul 6:16 PM 17-Jul 7:15 PM 18-Jul 6:45 AM -8 18-Jul 5:17 PM 8-Aug 5:00 PM 16-Aug 5:17 PM 22-Aug 3:08 PM -10 30-Aug 1:25 PM 2-Sep 2:00 PM 12-Sep 7:00 AM 13-Sep 1:00 PM -12 Daily Levels, 0 = Full Pool 600 North 18th Street Post Office Box 2641 Birmingham.Alabama 35291 Tel 205.257.1000 &, I: A D. A I;,E, ~L~gH.fJ~'1. A' ~~\. July 12, 2002 POWER A SOUTHERN COMPANY Mr. Jim Beason President, Smith Lake Civic Association P.O. Box 2411 Jasper,Alabama 35501 Dear Jim: As mentioned in my letter to you dated June 20, 2002, your letter dated June 17 to Mr. Alan Martin concerning styro-foam in Smith Lake has been forwarded to me for response. As an initial matter, Alabama Power is very appreciative of the commitment to Smith Lake demonstratednot only by the concern addressedin your letter, but also in your ongoing participation in the relicensing project. The Smith Lake Civic Association's role in this process and its continuing efforts to enhance the scenic and recreational values of the reservoir contribute significantly to its beauty and the public's enjoyment of this valuable resource. In the June 17 letter, you request that Alabama Power develop a program for ensuring prope;rdisposal of styro-foam material as it is being replaced by property owners. As you know, Alabama Power's lakeshore permitting program no longer allaws the.use of exposed white beaded foam (often referred to as styro-foam) materials in the construction of new floating facilities.