SHORELINES

3 Shor e l i n e S | 2014 Vol :3 When Capt. Lay first began to come to Clanton and talk about damming up the Coosa River people laughed at his theory. … He is just talking that stuff to keep us from knowing what he is really up to. He is some crank who is hunting for a gold mine out here in these hills, and just talks about damming up the river to keep people from catching on to his foolish mission here. So wrote the Clanton Union Banner on Nov. 24, 1921, seven years after Alabama Power, the company Capt. William Patrick Lay founded, dammed the Coosa near Clanton. Lay's "foolish mission" really was to build a hydroelectric dam that would light up cities, towns, homes and farms across central Alabama and pull the state out of the 19th century into the 20th. This year, Alabama Power celebrates 100 years of Lay Dam, which continues to produce reliable, affordable energy. It is the first of 14 hydroelectric dams and 11 lakes on three river basins that have helped transform Alabama – providing electricity, recreation and economic development for communities across the state. Hydro is still an important part of Alabama Power's fuel mix, helping the company provideelectricity at below-average prices with superior reliability. In this issue of Shorelines Vice Presidents Jim Heilbron and Matt Bowden explain how federal mandates threaten the company's fuel diversity, driving up the cost of generating electricity. Alabama Power dams also have provided wonderful opportunities for recreation that in many cases become a lifelong passion. At Logan Martin, 86-year-old Harry Reich has sailed the lake for decades, chasing his need for speed on the open water. Reich also is helping chase a cure for leukemia. On the river side of Smith Lake's dam, anglers chase rainbow trout. Smith's cold, deep water sluicing into the Sipsey Fork of the Black Warrior River keeps the river below 70 degrees, providing the one spot in Alabama where trout can be caught year-round. Alabama Power partners with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and other groups to keep the river stocked with trout. This issue also includes stories about the new Shorelines website (APCShorelines. com) and app with customized information for Alabama Power lake lovers, and how the company is dealing with dilapidated structures on the lakes. Enjoy! — BOB BL ALOCK WATER WHYS Left: Photo by Wynter Byrd — Lay Dam celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

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